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CHURCH  DEBTS 


ORIGIN,  1 1  EVILS,  AND  CURE 


WILLIAM    RAMSEY. 


Q.UI     JTIHIL    DEBET,    LICTORES    JfOX    TIMET. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
ROBERT   E.    PETERSON, 

NORTH  WEST  CORNER  OF  FIFTH  AND  ARCH  STREETS. 
1851. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1851,  by 

William  Ramsey, 

in  the   Office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  District  Court,  for  the  Eastern 

District  of  Pennsylvania. 


WM.  F.  GEDDES,  PRINTER,  112  CHESTNUT  8T. 


DEDICATION. 


To  all  who  truly  reprobate, 
As  well  as  those  who  do  not  hate, 
With  perfect  hatred,  and  sincere, 
The  Debt  on  Churches;  but  adhere 
To  customs  based  on  love  of  gold, 
With  all  their  evils  manifold, 
I  kindly  dedicate  this  work, 
Alike  to  Christian,  Jew,  and  Turk. 

W.  R. 

Philadelphia,  March  22,  1851, 


TO  THE   READER. 


These  letters  were  written  under  a  feeling  sense  of 
the  enormous  curse  of  Church  Debts.  They  were  all 
published  in  the  "  Christian  Observer,"  of  this  city, 
except  a  few  of  the  last  pages,  which  were  withheld, 
because  some  of  our  debt-oppressed  Christians  felt 
that  they  had  as  much  light  on  the  subject  as  their 
consciences  could  then  bear.  That  the  discussion  of 
this  subject  has  done  incalculable  good,  there  can  be 
no  doubt.  Many  have  been  "  provoked  to  love  and  to 
good  works"  in  paying  off  their  Church  Debts,  who 
will  be  slow  to  thank  the  Author  for  the  assistance  he 
has  rendered  them  in  their  work.  But  he  has  his  re- 
ward in  the  knowledge  of  the  fact,  that  many  of  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry  have  been  delivered,  through 
his  instrumentality,  from  the  bondage  under  which 
they  were  made  to  groan  by  a  money-loving  church. 
They  are  now  republished  at  the  earnest  request  of 
many,  who  hope  that  the  smooth  stone,  which  has 
slain  some  of  these  haughty  Philistines,  which  have 
defied  Israel,  may  not  leave  one  of  the  race  to  curse 
the  Church  of  God.  That  they  may  accomplish  this 
blessed  work,  is  the  sincere  prayeirof 

The  Author. 


CHURCH   DEBTS, 


LETTER  I. 


Mr.  Editor, — In  conversing  with  a  friend,  a  few 
days  ago,  the  subject  of  "church  debts"  was  intro- 
duced. In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  I  expressed 
the  sentiment, that  "a  standing  debt  upon  a  church  was 
a  standing  curse  upon  it," — that  it  was  not  only  a  curse 
resting  upon  that  church  and  congregation,  but  that  it 
had  a  most  blighting  influence  upon  those  who  had  no 
connection  with  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  replied 
that  he  did  not  think  so;  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  it 
was  in  many  cases  a  blessing.  One  of  the  benefits 
arising  from  church  debts  was  then  mentioned,  viz: 
that  it  acted  as  a  bond  of  union.  We  did  not  stop  to 
discuss  the  sentiment,  but  separated;  each  one  in  the 
undisturbed  enjoyment  of  his  own  opinion. 

As  this  gentleman  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  hearted 
Christians  in  this  city,  and  is  behind  no  others  in  deeds 
of  benevolence,  so  far  as  God  may  enable  him  to  act, 
I  have  been  led  to  inquire,  whether  the  remark  was 
not  made  to  elicit  my  views  on  the  subject,  rather  than 
to  express  his  own  decided  judgment  in  the  case.  The 
more  I  have  thought  on  the  subject,  however,  the  more 
firm  I  am  in  the  belief  of  the  sentiment,  that  a  standing 
debt  upon  a  church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  a 
standing  curse.  The  thing  is  displeasing  to  God — in- 
jurious to  the  souls  of  Christians — ruinous  to  the  souls 
of  men — one  of  the  greatest  hindrances  to  the 
spread  of  the  gospel  and  the  salvation  of  men — 
and  the  grand  reason  why  the  flock  of  Christ  is  kept 
in  perfect  infancy,  and  hindered  from  arriving  at  the 
fulness  of  the  stature  of  men  in  Christ  Jesus.  This 
perpetual  infancy  of  the  Church  in  strength,  zeal,  and 
power,  is  not  only  her  disgrace^  but  her  sin. 


6  Church  Debts. 

I  am  willing  to  grant  that  the  views  which  I  hold  on 
this  subject  are  one-sided.  Nor  can  I  appreciate  the 
strength  of  the  arguments  that  may  be  adduced  in  sup- 
port of  the  blessings  of  church  debts.  The  arguments 
may  be  powerful  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  present  them; 
but,  to  me,  they  are  like  Samson  under  the  shears  of 
Delilah.  So  long  as  I  have  the  Bible  to -sustain  me,  I 
am  content  to  be  ''onesided"  in  my  views,  and  am 
perfectly  willing  to  bear  any  reproach,  or  encounter 
any  opposition  that  may  be  waked  up  against  an  hon- 
est effort  to  cast  out  this  demon  from  the  church  of  the 
living  God.  And  with  your  aid,  I  purpose  to  agitate 
this  subject,  until  it  shall  be  as  disgraceful  in  the  eyes  of 
the  church,  as  it  now  is  in  the  eyes  of  the  icorld ;  and 
until  this  foul  blot  shall  be  wiped  out  forever  from  the 
Church  of  Christ. 

If  "church  debts"  are  church  blessings,  may  I  not 
ask  for  some  of  your  gifted  scribes  to  write  them  down 
so  plain  that  all  may  read,  and  let  the  public  be  en- 
lightened on  the  subject.  But  that  church  debts  are 
church  curses,  I  trust  will  appear  to  all,  before  we  con- 
clude. Take  them  in  what  shape  you  please,  either  in 
Alopathic  or  Homoeopathic  doses,  the  curse  is  there  still, 
and  no  power  on  earth  can  alter  it.  It  is  like  the  car- 
nal mind  ;  it  is  enmity  against  God.  It  never  can  har- 
monize with  the  will  of  God.  It  must  be  destroyed. 
These  church  debts  are  some  of  those  "little  foxes  that 
spoil  the  vines,"  and  although  it  may  be  difficult  to 
catch  them,  still,  we  hope,  in  due  time,  to  save  "our 
vines,  which  have  tender  grapes,"  from  their  future  an- 
noyance. 

In  my  next  letter  I  will  endeavor  to  point  out  the 
ignoble  parentage  of  church  debts.  In  the  meantime,  it 
would  be  well  for  those  who  have  a  fellow  feeling  on 
this  subject  with  the  writer,  to  "read,  study,  and  in- 
wardly digest"  that  portion  of  God's  word,  which  is 
found  in  the  prophecy  of  Malachi,  3:  8—12. 

Yours,  sincerely,  in  the  war  against  Church  Debts. 

William  Ramsey. 
June  2, 1845. 


Not  of  Scriptural  Origin. 


LETTER  II. 

Mr.  Editor, — I  rejoice  that  you  have  given  my  first 
letter  a  place  in  your  valuable  paper,  and  that  you 
have  thus  introduced  this  important  subject  of  Church 
Debts  to  the  notice  of  your  readers.  I  am,  therefore, 
encouraged  to  proceed.  If  church  debts  are  church 
blessings,  then  let  us  pray  that  they  may  be  continued; 
but,  if  they  are  church  curses,  the  sooner  we  can  get 
clear  of  them  the  better.  My  object  is  good,  my  mo- 
tives are  good  ;  and  I  trust  that  all  my  remarks  will 
be  in  the  spirit  of  kindness. — But  I  desire  that  they 
should  cut  so  deep,  as  to  cut  out  this  plague-spot  from 
the  Church  of  Christ  forever. 

I  will  now  turn  your  attention  to  the  parentage  of 
church  debts,  and  we  shall  see  how  much  there  is  in 
the  system  to  commend  it  to  the  patronage  of  the 
churches.  After  a  most  careful  search,  I  am  constrain- 
ed to  say,  that  the  plan  of  erecting  churches  pro- 
fessedly for  the  worship  of  God,  and  not  paying  for 
them,  is 

1.  Not  of  Scriptural  Origin. 

The  first  account  which  we  have  in  the  Scriptures 
of  any  building  being  erected  for  the  worship  of  God, 
is  a  description  of  the  tabernacle.  The  history  of 
this  transaction  is  found  in  Exodus,  chaps,  xxxv. — xl. 
It  is  briefly  this  :  When  Moses  was  on  the  Mount,  he 
received  from  the  Lord  a  command  to  build  the  taber- 
nacle, which  was  to  be  carried  with  Israel  in  their 
journey  through  the  wilderness.  On  his  descending, 
he  "gave  to  Israel  the  command  of  the  Lord,"  which 
wras  in  these  words :  "This  is  the  thing  which  the 
Lord  commanded,  saying,  take  ye  from  among  you 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord;  whosoever  is  of  willing 
heart,  let  him  bring  it,  an  offering  of  the  Lord  ;  gold, 
and  silver,  and  brass."  In  compliance  with  this  com- 
mand, we  learn  that  the  people  came,  every  one  whose 


8  Church  Debts. 

heart  stirred  him  up,  and  every  one  whom  his  spirit 
made  willing,  and  they  brought  the  Lord's  offering 
to  the  work  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation. 
In  this  work  all  the  men,  women  and  rulers  united. 
Men  were  selected  to  build  the  tabernacle,  and  to 
prepare  the  various  articles  of  furniture,  out  of  the 
voluntary  contributions  of  the  people.  Moses  was 
soon  informed  that  there  was  more  than  enough 
brought  for  all  that  was  to  be  made.  He  then  gave 
the  command  to  the  people,  saying,  "Let  neither  man 
nor  woman  make  any  more  work  for  the  offering  of 
the  sanctuary.  For  the  stuff  they  had  was  sufficient 
for  all  the  work,  to  make  it  and  too  muck." 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  account  of  the  first  build- 
ing erected  for  the  public  worship  of  God,  of  which  there 
is  any  record.  And  what  is  the  fact  in  reference  to  it  1 
Simply  this,  that  it  was  built  by  the  free-will  offerings 
of  the  Lord's  people.  So  far  from  there  being  a  large 
debt  remaining  upon  it  after  its  erection,  there  was 
more  than  enough  collected  to  pay  for  every  thing. 
When  the  work  was  finished,  it  was  dedicated  to  the 
service  of  the  Lord.  "Then  a  cloud  covered  the  tent 
of  the  congregation,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled 
the  tabernacle."  This  house  was  emphatically  the 
Lord's.  No  man  had  a  personal  claim  against  it.  It 
was  not  built  by  joint-stock;  nor  was  it  built  by  money 
raised  on  mortgage;  but  by  the  voluntary  contributions 
of  a  poor  people,  who  had  nothing  but  what  they 
asked  of  the  Egyptians  before  leaving  Egypt;  and  yet 
the  mere  gold  and  silver  used  in  the  tabernacle  amount- 
ed to  about  $550,000.  And  the  presents  of  silver 
and  gold,  which  wrere  offered  by  the  twelve  princes  of 
Israel,  after  its  erection,  amounted  to  about  $12,300 
more.  The  conduct  of  the  Israelites  in  this  case, 
gives  no  sanction  to  the  modern  and  approved  mode  of 
erecting  churches. 

If  we  follow  the  Jews  in  their  history,  we  shall  find 
that  the  temple  of  Solomon,  the  glory  of  the  world, 
was  also  built  by  voluntary  contributions.  David, 
before  his  death,  had  prepared  for  its   erection  aboqt 


Primitive  Churches.  ,  9 

£940,000,000  ! !  When  this  building  was  finished, 
there  was  not  a  farthing  of  debt  remaining  upon  it. 
It  was  built  for  the  Lord,  and  dedicated  to  his  service, 
and  no  man  could  say  that  he  held  any  legal  claim 
against  the  house  of  the  Lord.  It  was  the  Lord's,  and 
his  alone. 

After  the  return  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon,  they 
rebuilt  the  temple.  It  was  done  in  troublesome  times. 
They  were  few  in  number,  and  poor;  and  yet  they  found 
favor  with  God  in  their  work.  It  was  ultimately  built 
without  their  being  under  any  obligation  to  the  San- 
ballats,  the  Tobiahs  or  the  Geshems,  of  their  day.  It 
was  built  by  the  free-will  offerings  of  the  people  of  God. 
So  far,  then,  as  the  example  of  the  Old  Testament 
saints  is  concerned,  we  find  that,  in  no  instance,  was 
the  house  of  the  Lord  left  in  debt.  It  is  true  that, 
through  discouragement  in  part,  they  had  stopped,  for 
a  time,  in  building  the  temple  after  their  return;  but 
still  it  was  paid  for  as  far  as  it  was  built,  and  when  it 
was  completed,  it  was  all  paid.  It  was  then  the  Lord's 
house,  and  no  Jew,  much  less  a  heathen,  could  say 
that  he  held  any  claim  against  the  temple  of  the  living 
God. 

When  we  come  down  to  New  Testament  times,  we 
find  that  Christians  conducted  the  worship  of  God  in  a 
very  simple  manner.  An  upper  room  or  a  private  house 
was  used  for  their  place  of  meeting.  And  in  times  of 
persecution,  the  caves  and  the  dens  of  the  earth,  or  some 
unfrequented  place,  was  their  sanctuary.  The  first  no- 
tice that  I  find  of  houses  being  set  apart  especially  for 
public  worship,  is  at  the  close  o(  the  second  century. 
Tertullian,  in  his  treatise  de  Idolatria.  c.  7,  says  that 
"they  came  from  the  idols  into  the  church — from 
the  shop  of  the  adversary  into  the  house  of  God, 
in  domum  Dei."  One  thing  is  very  certain,  they  did 
not  erect  churches  at  an  expense  of  from  $5,000  to 
$50,000  to  hinder  them  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and 
to  vex  and  perplex  those  who  should  come  after  them. 
If  need  be,  they  sold  their  own  houses  and  lands,  and 
laid  the  money  down  at  the  apostles'  feet  for  the  pur- 
1* 


10  Church  Debts. 

pose  of  aiding  their  brethren.  This  was  more  need- 
ful than  to  erect  large  and  costly  edifices  which  might 
betaken  from  them  at  the  will  of  their  persecutors. 
Eusebius  tells  us  that  under  the  reign  of  Dioclesian 
the  Bible  ivas  burnt,  (this  is  an  old  practice  of  the 
enemies  of  God,)  and  their  churches  were  demolished. 
There  were  about  forty  churches  in  Rome  which  were 
destroyed  during  his  reign. 

But,*  when  Constantino  came  to  the  throne,  he  gave 
Christians  liberty  to  repair  and  rebuild  their  churches. 
He  not  only  prohibited  pagan  worship,  but  gave  com- 
mand that  the  Christian  churches  should  be  built  higher 
and  more  capacious  than  before;  and  also  that  the  gov- 
ernors of  the  different  provinces  should  assist  them, 
and  furnish  them  with  whatever  was  necessary  in  the 
erection  of  churches.  So  then,  down  to  the  fourth 
century,  we  have  no  account  that  the  modern  custom 
of  building  churches  without  paying  for  them,  was 
ever  thought  of  This  work  is  left  for  the  improve- 
ments of  the  18th  and  19th  centuries. 

2d.  Church  Debts  are  not  of  Heathen  Origin.  I 
have  been  permitted  to  enter  many  of  the  temples 
of  the  Hindoos;  the  Mosques  and  Musjeeds  of  the 
Mohammedans;  the  "towers  of  silence,"  and  the  tem- 
ples of  the  Zoroasterites  ;  and  the  sacred  caves  of 
the  Buddhist,  as  they  are  found  in  a  heathen 
land.  I  have  looked  with  astonishment  at  the  mag- 
nificence of  some  of  those  structures,  and  have  ad- 
mired the  zeal,  the  industry,  and  the  self-denial  of 
those  who  erected  them,  and  often  have  wished 
that  their  zeal  had  been  devoted  to  a  better 
cause.  But,  while  I  have  admired  their  zeal  and  their 
devotion  to  idolatry,  I  have  at  the  same  time,  been  re- 
proved, in  reflecting  that  the  people  of  God  are  far 
behind  them  in  zeal  and  effort  for  the  promotion  of  the 
cause  of  Christ.  In  Bombay,  for  example,  the  Hindoo 
population  in  1835  was  about  200,000,  and  they  had 
upwards  of  400  temples,  or  one  temple  to  about  every 
500  of  the  inhabitants.  But  this  is  not  all.  Not  one 
of  these  temples  is  in  debt,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  of 


PARSEE  CEMETERY. 


Page  11. 


Not  of  Heathen  Origin.  1 1 

them  extends.  They  have  all  been  erected,  either  by 
the  former  Hindoo  government;  by  the  legacies  of 
the  rich,  or  by  private  contributions.  It  is  so  with 
the  Mohammedan  population.  Their  Mosques  are  all 
paid  for.  The  Parsee  population  is  about  20,000. 
They  have  several  temples,  all  out  of  debt.  The  last 
"tower  of  silence"  as  it  is  called,  was  built  by  Framjee 
Cowasjee,  on  Malabar  hill,  at  an  expense  of  about 
$25,000.  He  then  gave  it  as  a  donation  to  his  nation. 
Now,  when  I  think  of  these  things,  and  then  cast  my 
eye  over  this  city,  and  look  at  her  churches  of  all  de- 
nominations, (about  one-fourth  enough  for  the  popula- 
tion,) and  think  of  the  fact  that,  so  far  as  I  know,  there 
is  scarcely  one  of  them  out  of  debt,  I  grieve  that  the 
cause  of  Christ  is  so  dishonored.  As  to  the  Presby- 
terian churches  in  this  city  where  is  there  one,  from 
the  First  Church,  with  its  immense  wealth,  down  to 
the  humblest  mission  station  in  connection  with  us  that 
is  free  from  debt?*  Is  there  one?  If  there  be  one, 
Mr.  Editor,  please  name  the  church,  and  let  the  fact  be 
known  that  there  is  religion  enough,  in  at  least  one 
church  among  us,  to  lead  them  to  pay  off  their  debts. 
We  send  money  to  a  heathen  land  with  an  ill 
grace,  to  convert  the  heathen  from  the  error  of 
their  ways,  when  in  zeal  and  benevolence  in  the 
matter  of  building  churches  and  paying  for  them, 
they  put  us  to  the  blush.  When  I  have  urged  upon 
the  heathen  the  duties  of  repentance  and  of  faith,  they 
have  often  told  me,  "Sahib,  go  convert  your  own  peo- 
ple before  you  come  to  us,  for  they  are  worse  than  we 
are."  I  have  had  to  confess  that  many  of  the  Sahibs 
are  worse  than  Hindoos:  but  then  I  have  told  them, 
these  are  not  Christians,  though  they  bear  the  name. 
It  was  well  that  they  did  not  know  the  sad  truth,  that 
even  those  who  gather  around  the  table  of  the  Lord, 
often  do  it  in  a  house,  whose  rafters  are  splitting  under 

*  To  the  honor  of  the  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
this  City,  I  must  state,  that  since  the  above  remarks  were  published  in 
June,  1845,  they  have  paid  off  the  debt  that  was  upon  their  own  church, 
and  have  nobly  assisted  other  churches  in  paying  off  theirs. 
October  1,  1850. 


12  Church  Debts* 

the  weight  of  the  curse  of  a  church  debt,  or  I 
should  have  heard  that  reproach  also  cast  upon  the 
church  of  Christ.  But,  not  to  dwell  longer  on  this  part 
of  the  subject,  let  us  look  at  the  real  parentage  of 
church  debts.  You  will  find  it,  not  in  the  Bible,  not  in 
the  practice  of  the  ancient  Jews,  not  in  that  of  the 
Primitive  Church,  nor  even  in  the  practice  of  the 
heathen,  for  they  would  be  ashamed  of  such  conduct: — 
but,  in  the  pride  and  covetousness  of  the  church  in  these 
latter  days.  As  this  statement  may  not  be  self-evident 
to  all  my  readers,  I  will  defer  the  proof  of  it  till  my 
next  letter.  If  any  one  can  show  a  nobler  origin  let  him 
do  it :  and  let  all  pray,  and  pray  earnestly,  that  the  God 
of  heaven  may  speedily  deliver  all  his  churches  from 
the  curse,  the  unutterable  curse  of  church  debts. 
Yours,  trulv,  in  the  war  against  Church  Debts. 

W.  R. 


LETTER  III. 


In  my  last  letter,  I  said  that  the  origin  of  Church 
debts  must  be  traced  to  the  pride  and  covetousness  of 
the  church  of  Christ.  It  most  assuredly  is  not  found 
in  the  humility  and  liberality  of  the  church.  If  the 
professed  followers  of  the  Saviour  were  now  really 
poor,  and  did  but  possess  the  spirit  of  their  Lord  or  of 
the  Apostles,  they  would  no  more  think  of  building 
churches,  and  then  leave  them  pressed  down  by  a 
heavy  debt,  than  the  apostles  would  have  thought  of 
making  an  Elder  of  Simon  Magus,  or  a  Deacon  of 
Alexander,  the  Coppersmith.  The  thought  would  be 
as  far  from  their  minds,  as  the  proud  and  the  covetous 
are  from  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Do  not  suppose,  however,  that  I  am  now  speaking 
against  the  custom  of  erecting  costly  houses  of  wor- 
ship. I  am  only  speaking  against  the  practice  of  not 
paying  for  them.     The  propriety,  however,  of  building 


A  Heathen  Custom.  13 

such  churches,  and  the  religion  of  the  measure,  we 
shall  consider  at  another  time.  Nor  would  I  have  you 
suppose  that  I  am  an  advocate  for  that  niggardliness  of 
feeling,  which  would  make  the  house  of  God  the  most 
uncomfortable,  and  uninviting  place  in  the  town  or 
community.  There  are  such  buildings,  which  are  not 
only  a  disgrace  to  the  Christian  character  of  those 
who  worship  in  them,  but  also  a  reproach  to  them  as 
a  civilized  people.  Some  people  seem  to  think  that  the 
practising  of  that  religion,  which  requires  them  to  en- 
dure hardness  as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  con- 
sists, in  part  at  least,  in  doing  penance,  by  sitting  on 
hard  and  uncomfortable  seats  ;  and  not  in  "trembling 
at  the  word  of  God,"  but  in  shivering  under  it,  while 
coldly  spoken  in  a  cold  and  cheerless  house.  But, 
broken  windows — hostility  to  paint— the  absence  of  de- 
cency and  comfort  in  the  house  of  God— the  prostrate 
walls  around  the  chambers  of  the  dead. — and  the  graves 
of  their  fathers  trodden  down  by  the  lowing  herd,  or 
uprooted  by  the  swine  of  the  field — accord  not  with 
the  views  which  I  entertain  of  the  religion  of  the  gos- 
pel. A  people  who  have  not  religion  enough  to  take 
care  even  of  the  graves  of  their  fathers,  or  to  make 
themselves  comfortable  in  their  own  house  of  worship, 
have  not  religion  enough  to  sustain  their  minister,  or 
to  profit  by  the  means  of  grace.  And  if  such  a  people 
do  not  ultimately  starve  their  minister  out  of  his  office 
among  them,  it  will  be  owing  to  influences  over  which 
they  have  no  control. 

1  have  said  that  the  practice  of  building  churches 
and  not  paying  for  them,  has  no  precedent  in  the  word 
of  God,  as  exemplified  either  in  the  conduct  of  the 
Jewish,  or  of  the  Christian  Church.  Nor  does  it  re- 
ceive any  countenance  from  the  conduct  of  the  hea- 
then, who  may,  in  this  case,  follow  the  light  of  nature, 
or  the  promptings  of  their  feelings  as  men.  I  venture 
here  the  declaration,  that  you  will  not  find  a  temple  of 
any  description,  among  any  of  the  Heathen  nations  now 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,  that  is  in  debt.  China,  with 
her  more  than  300  millions,  and  India,  with  her  130 


/ 


1 


14  Church  Debts. 

millions,  have  not  one  temple  in  debt.  Did  ancient 
Greece,  or  Rome,  or  Egypt  ever  have  one  in  debt  \ 
No;  the  temples  of  the  gods  belonged  to  the  gods. 
They  were  sacred,  They  were  built  by  the  people 
for  the  gods,  and  were  freely  and  unreservedly  dedica- 
ted to  their  service.  It  is  left  for  those,  who  glory  in 
the  light  of  revelation,  and  civilization,  and  refinement 
to  do  a  deed,  which  never  disgraced  the  annals  of  a 
heathen  nation,  sunk  in  the  deepest  of  moral  degrada- 
tion. Oh!  it  looks  like  sanctified  mockery,  to  see  the 
hoary-headed  and  reverend  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  devout  looking  company  of  elders  and  deacons, 
and  the  multitude  of  consecrated  followers  of  Christ, 
all  unite  together,  and  by  one  solemn  act  of  prayer 
and  praise,  lay  the  foundation;  rear  up  and  dedicate  to 
God,  a  house  for  his  worship,  which  they  know 
belongs  not  to  them  to  give,  and  which,  in  a  few 
months  or  years  afterwards,  may  be  seized  on,  and 
made  merchandise  of  in  the  market.  Such  a  scene  re- 
minds me  of  what  I  have  often  witnessed  in  the  festival 
of  Gunputtee  in  Bombay.  The  Moor-tee-kur-ta,  (the 
maker  of  images,)  fashions  the  idol — the  Brahmun  con- 
secrates it — the  multitude  dress  it  in  costly  robes,  and 
after  adoring  it  for  ten  days,  and  carrying  it  in  solemn 
procession  from  temple  to  temple,  they  strip  it  of  its 
costly  attire,  and  then  most  devoutly,  cast  it  into  the  sea. 
This  is  heathenism.  But  does  Christian  conduct  exem- 
plify itself  in  devoting  a  house  to  God  by  solemn  prayer, 
and  then  after  a  few  years,  sacrifice  it  under  the  ham- 
mer of  the  auctioneer?  Is  there  any  real  religion  in  such 
a  course  of  conduct  ?  Ananias  and  Sapphira  tried 
the  experiment,  upon  their  own  responsibility,  of  devot- 
ing property  to  God,  and  keeping  back  a  part  of  the 
same.  Is  there  less  guilt  now  in  a  whole  church  doing 
an  act  almost  parallel  to  it!  Judge  ye.  As  to  the  con- 
duct of  the  heathen  in  the  case  above  cited,  every  un- 
prejudiced man  must  confess,  that  it  is  far  more  con- 
sistent and  common-sense-like  than  that  of  Christians 
in  their  mode,  oftentimes,  of  managing  the  worship 
of  God.     The  Hindoos  build  their  temples  and^ay  for 


GUNESH. 


Page  14. 


A  Christian  Practice.  15 

them,  and  they  are  never  sacrificed  for  debt.  In 
the  festival  of  Gunputtee,  (the  god  of  wisdom,)  the 
idols  are  made  of  clay  for  the  occasion.  The  casting 
of  them  into  the  sea  is  designed  to  prevent  them  from 
being  touched  by  unholy  hands.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  here,  that  they  never  go  in  debt  for  these  idols, 
nor  for  the  things  they  need  for  the  festival.  Those 
who  are  to  conduct  the  ceremonies  collect  the  neces- 
sary money.  If  they  succeed  in  getting  a  large  sum 
of  money,  the  ceremonies  on  the  occasion  will  be  the 
more  imposing  ;  and  if  the  amount  collected  be  small, 
the  expense  of  the  idols  and  their  ornaments  will  be 
small  in  proportion.  There  is  good  sense  and  practi- 
cal wisdom  in  this  part  of  their  conduct.  Fas  est  ab 
discere  hoste. 

Now,  let  us  see  how  the  great  mass  of  Christians 
proceed  in  carrying  forward  the  worship  of  God. 
They  meet  together  and  agree  to  erect  a  house  of 
worship.  A  small  portion  of  the  whole  amount  is  ob- 
tained, and  the  work  is  begun  and  completed.  A 
mortgage  is  given  upon  the  property  for  the  balance ; 
and  if  they  can  meet  the  interest  upon  the  mortgage, 
they  are  content  to  remain  so,  never  intending  to  pay 
the  principal  themselves,  but  very  piously  leaving  this 
debt  to  be  paid  by  their  children.  A  few  years  roll 
round,  and  circumstances,  over  which  they  have  no 
control,  prevent  the  church  from  meeting  the  demands 
against  them.  Discouragement  ensues;  the  minister  is 
dismissed  for  want  of  support,  and  the  building  (that 
is  God's  house? !)  is  sold  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  the 
flock  of  Christ  is  scattered  !  Now,  why  all  this?  The 
answer  is,  they  are  like  the  man  spoken  of  in  the  gos- 
pel of  Luke,  (xi\,  29,  30,)  whom  the  people  mocked, 
saying,  "this  man  began  to  build  and  was  not  able  to 
finish  V9  But  why  were  they  not  able  to  finish?  Be- 
cause they  have  spent  more  in  laying  the  foundations 
and  in  completing  a  part  of  it,  than  might  have  been 
sufficient  to  build,  and  pay  for  a  house  of  a  smaller 
size,  and  one  which  would  have  afforded  ample  room 
for  them  for  years  to  come.     But   why  did  they  not 


16  Church  Debts; 

build  such  a  one?  Do  you  think  there  wsts  any  pride 
about  it?  Was  there  hot  a  desire  to  erect  such  & 
building  as  would  attract— whom?  God's  children? 
No :  but  men  of  the  world,  so  that  they  might  fill  the 
house  and  help  to  pay  for  it.  The  conversion  of  such 
men  is  a  secondary  thing.  No  matter,  now,  what 
may  have  been  the  motive  in  erecting  such  a  house 
for  God's  worship,  at  an  expense  beyond  the  means 
obtained  for  paying  for  it ;  was  there  not  still  mo- 
ney enough  in  the  hands  of  the  church  to  be  used 
for  the  glory  of  God  to  pay  for  it?  Certainly  there 
was.  Why,  then,  was  it  not  obtained?  It  cannot  be 
because  the  object  was  not  in  itself  a  good  one. 
Nor  can  it  be  because  there  were  so  many  other  and 
superior  claims  upon  the  benevolence  of  the  people  of 
God,  that  this  object  was  as  nought,  in  comparison 
with  them,  and  was  overlooked.  By  no  means. 
There  was,  and  there  is  now,  in  the  hands  of  the 
church  of  God,  more  than  enough  of  money  to  erect 
and  pay  for  suitable  houses  of  worship  in  every  part 
of  our  land  where  they  are  needed.  Why,  then,  was 
the  work  not  paid  for?  I  can  see  no  adequate  cause 
for  it,  except  the  wonderful  cohesiveness  of  the  money 
to  the  hands  of  those  who  possess  it.  Covetousness 
has  seized  upon  the  professed  church  of  Christ,  with 
such  a  powerful  grasp,  that  nothing  but  the  merciful 
interposition  of  God  can  save  them  from  spiritual 
death.  Oh  !  that  the  fire  of  God's  love  were  kindled  into 
a  flame  in  the  hearts  of  all  professing  Christians ; 
then  would  their  grasp  on  God's  money  be  loosed,  and 
the  wealth  of  the  church  would  flow  forth  in  one  con- 
tinued stream  of  life  and  salvation,  to  bless  and  save 
the  souls  of  men ! 

That  the  people  of  God  have  an  abundance  of  His 
money  in  their  hands,  which  should  be  disposed  of  for 
the  glory  of  their  master,  no  one  can  doubt.  Do  they 
not  live,  many  of  them, in  their  ceiled  palaces,  and  near- 
ly all  of  them  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  of  life, 
and  I  might  add,  of  its  luxuries  too?  Is  there  a  scheme 
of  worldliness  that  promises  temporal  gain; — is  there  a 


A  Christian  Practice.  17 

scene  of  national  joy  and  amusement  not  in  itself  sin- 
ful ;  is  there  a  new  fashion  or  a  new  mode  invented  to 
make  life  more  easy;  is  there  a  new  enterprise  to  pro- 
mote the  political  prosperity  of  the  nation,  or  to  increase 
the  glory  of  our  country  both  at  home  and  abroad; 
is  there  any  society  founded  for  the  promotion  of  the 
arts  or  for  the  cultivation  of  letters  in  this  great  nation 
that  does  not  draw  largely  upon  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord  through  the  hands  of  His  people?  Point  me  to  one 
if  you  can.  Why,  then,  does  the  house  of  the  Lord 
lie  waste,  and  why  are  the  watchmen  on  the  walls  of 
Zion  faint  and  dying,  for  the  lack  of  those  means  which 
God's  people  have  directed,  in  a  great  degree,  from 
their  appropriate  channel?  I  am  not  finding  fault 
with  the  activity  of  Christians  in  any  plan,  whose  ten- 
dency is  to  promote  the  temporal  good  of  man.  But 
why  should  they  be  active  in  pushing  forward  their 
researches  in  science,  in  the  improvement  of  the  arts, 
in  the  improvement  and  refinement  of  society  in  gene- 
ral, and  yet  leave  the  cause  of  God  to  languish  ?  Does 
this  latter  cause  promise  less  temporal  gain?  Or  does 
the  money  thrown  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord,  yield 
less  interest,  and  less  comfort  to  the  body,  and  less  joy 
and  peace  to  the  soul,  than  the  same  amount  invested 
in  the  stocks  of  earth,  that  church  members  are  induced 
to  trust  their  thousands  in  the  hands  of  man,  while  they 
will  not  commit  their  te?is  to  God  for  safe  keeping? 
There  is  something  here  radically  wrong.  Jf  the 
pride,  covetousness,  and  selfishness  of  the  church  be 
not  the  cause  of  the  evil,  do  tell  me  what  it  is.  If  I 
am  wrong,  set  me  right.  And  if  I  am  right,  then  help 
me  on  in  this  work  of  reform. 

In  my  next  letter,  I  shall  speak  of  the  direct  benefits 
of  church  debts,  as  they  have  been  enumerated  to  me 
by  those  who  plead  for  the  continuance  of  the  blessing! 

Yours,  as  ever,  in  the  warfare  against  church  debts, 

W.  R. 


18  Church  Debts. 


LETTER  IV. 

In  my  last  letter  I  promised  to  speak  of  some  of 
the  benefits  of  church  debts,  as  they  have  been  stated 
to  me  by  the  advocates  of  the  system.  So  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  collect  and  arrange  them,  they  may 
all  be  included  in  these  two,  viz.: 

1.  Church  debts  act  as  a  bo?id  of  union, 

2.  They  produce  a  spirit  of  activity ;  they  keep  the 
church  stirring  and  awake. 

To  secure,  then,  these  blessings,  I  have  been  told 
that  "it  is  not  the  design  of  those  who  erect  churches 
to  pay  for  them.  Their  successors,  who  are  to  be 
benefited  by  these  churches,  should  help  to  pay  for 
their  erection." 

Such  is  the  mode  of  reasoning  in  the  case.  Let  us 
look  at  it  for  a  moment.  It  is  said,  that  it  is  not  the 
intention  of  those,  who  are  immediately  engaged  in 
the  erection  of  a  church,  to  pay  for  it  themselves,  but 
to  leave  a  portion  of  the  debt  to  be  paid  by  those  who 
may  succeed  them.  Is  this  acting  according  to  the 
principles  of  the  gospel?  Is  it  honest?  What  right 
have  any  set  of  men  to  engage  in  an  enterprise  which 
they  do  not  mean  to  accomplish ;  but,  as  soon  as  they 
can,  throw  the  burden  of  sustaining  it  on  the  shoulders 
of  others;  and  all  this,  too,  for  the  glory  of  God?  It 
may  accord  with  the  spirit  and  with  the  wisdom  of 
this  world;  but  it  is  the  antipodes  of  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel. 

Now,  what  course  does  such  an  association,  or 
church,  or  congregation,  or  whatever  you  may  choose 
to  call  them,  pursue.  They  agree  to  build  a  house  for 
the  worship  of  God,  in  a  style  and  at  an  expense  far 
beyond  their  spirit  of  liberality,  or  their  present  avail- 
able amount  of  funds.  This  they  do  for  respectability's 
sake.  The  house  must  be  just  so,  or  it  will  not  be  at- 
tractive. It  must  be  "  second  to  none  around  them." 
That  is  settled.     |The  next  thing  is  to  raise  the  funds. 


Their  so-called  Benefits.  19 

Messis.  A.,  B.,  C,  and  D.  subscribe  so  much  towards 
the  object,  and  lend,  on  interest,  a  much  larger  amount. 
Subscriptions  from  the  widow,  the  orphan,  and  the 
fatherless,  and  from  all  who  may  feel  disposed  to  con- 
tribute, swell  the  amount.  The  house  is  built.  But  a 
balance  of  some  thousands  remaining,  Mr.  E.  lends 
that  sum,  and  secures  himself  by  a  mortgage  on  the 
property.  God's  house?  is  now  ready  for  his  people  to 
worship  in.  It  is  devoted  to  His  service  entirely !  A 
minister  must  now  be  had.  Where  can  one  be  found? 
Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  Timothy,  describes  the  charac- 
ter of  the  man  who  was  adapted  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  in  his  day.  He  must  be  blameless,  vigilant, 
sober,  not  given  to  zcine,  not  greedy  of  Jilthy  lucre;  one 
that  ruletli  well  his  own  house,  having  his  children  in 
subjection  with  all  gravity ;  apt  to  teach,  &c.  He  did 
not  require  him  to  be  apt  to  draw  money  out  of  the 
purses  of  the  saints;  or  of  a  popular  address,  or  to  be 
eloquent,  and  of  polished  manners.  The  reason  of  this, 
however,  is  manifest.     For, 

1st.  Paul  had  all  his  ideas  of  ministerial  character 
and  qualifications  directly  from  his  Master,  who  was 
more  strict  than  the  feelings  of  the  present  age  de- 
mand. 

2d.  He  did  not  live  amidst  the  refinements  and  the 
improvements  of  the  nineteenth  century,  especially  in 
building  churches. 

3d.  Christians  had  nothing  else  to  do  in  his  day  but 
to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls  and  the  spread  of  the 
gospel,  besides  the  care  of  their  own  families.  They 
had  nothing  to  do  with  their  money,  but  to  lay  it  by  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week  as  the  Lord  had  prospered 
them,  for  spreading  abroad  the  knowledge  of  Christ, 
and  for  aiding  their  poor  brethren,  so  as  to  allow  their 
ministers  "  to  give  themselves  continually  to  the  minis- 
try of  the  word  and  to  prayer,"  so  that  they  might  not 
neglect  their  appropriate  work  to  feed  the  flock  of 
Christ,  as  they  were  not  ordained  to  the  work  of  col- 
lecting dollars  and  cents. 

4th.  The  church  had  no  interest  then  in  the  stocks 


20  Church  Debts. 

and  schemes  of  earth.  They  held  no  Sabbath-break- 
ing offices  under  the  government;  they  had  no  en- 
gagement to  transport  the  mail  on  the  Sabbath;  they 
owned  no  Sabbath-breaking  rail  road  or  steamboat 
stock,  and  of  course  had  both  time  and  means  enough 
to  do  all  their  duty,  and  to  leave  the  apostles  to  do 
theirs.  The  politics  of  the  world  did  not  need  the  aid 
of  Christians  as  now. 

5th.  As  Paul  was  "in  bodily  presence  weak,  and  in 
speech  contemptible,"  according  to  the  testimony  of 
an  enemy;  and,  as  he  says  himself,  he  was  not  sent  to 
preach  the  gospel  "  with  wisdom  of  words  ;"  and  since 
his  own  "  preaching  was  not  with  enticing  words  of 
man's  wisdom,"  it  would  not  be  very  appropriate  for 
him  to  mention  eloquence  as  a  necessary  qualification 
in  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 

Thus  you  see  that  Paul  recommended  just  such  kind 
of  ministers  as  were  suited  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
his  day.  But  things  are  very  different  now,  as  any 
body  may  see.  The  most  of  our  congregations  have 
something  else  to  do  than  merely  to  support  the  gospel 
among  them.  They  have  to  support  their  pride  and 
worldliness,  not  only  in  their  persons  and  families,  but 
in  their  churches  also.  In  the  selection  of  a  minister, 
therefore,  it  is  often  a  consideration  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  find  a  man,  (a  good  man,  of  course.)  but 
such  a  good  man  as  will  help  them,  by  preaching  the 
gospel,  to  do  all  this,  and  to  share  with  them  also  the 
burden  of  the  church  debt ;  this  first-born  of  pride  and 
covetousness.  Could  they  not  do  it  themselves,  with- 
out the  aid  of  the  minister,  and  let  him  pursue  his  ap- 
propriate work  to  labor  for  the  conversion  of  men  to 
God,  and  to  build  up  the  saints?  Certainly,  they  could. 
They  could  go  to  their  own  coffers,  or  their  wealthier 
brethren  could  go  to  theirs,  and  take  from  thence  the 
gold  and  silver  which  is  cankered,  and  the  rust  of 
which  shall  witness  against  them,  and  shall  burn  their 
flesh  as  fire  in  the  last  days,  and  in  one  hour  pay  off 
all  the  debt  that  remains  upon  their  church.  Not  only 
so;  they  could  pay  off  all  the  debt  of  all  the  churches 


The  Work  to  be  Done.  21 

of  the  living  God,  and  build  as  many  more  as  the  cause 
of  Christ  demands,  and,  after  all,  have  more  than  enough 
to  hinder  them  in  their  journey  towards  heaven.  But 
it  is  not  their  intention  to  pay  off  the  debt.  They  mean 
that  others  too  shall  share  in  this  work  of  benevolence 
and  of  love !  This  is  the  work  to  be  done.  How,  then, 
shall  it  be  accomplished  1 

The  first  thing  now  to  be  done  is  to  arrange  the  pe- 
cuniary matters  of  the  church  in  such  a  way  that  the 
members,  by  keeping  together,  and  by  continued  or 
by  special  efforts,  may  collect  enough  to  pay  the  inte- 
rest of  the  debt  on  the  church,  as  it  becomes  due.  And 
the  next  thing  to  be  done  is  to  induce  others  to  unite 
with  them  (no  matler  where  they  come  from)  in  the 
pious  work  of  bearing  each  other's  burdens.  There 
was  a  time,  and  there  will  be  again,  when  "God  will 
make  a  common  man  more  precious  than  fine  gold, 
and  a  great  man  than  the  golden  wedge  of  Ophir;" 
but,  for  the  present  emergency,  a  man  without  gold  is 
of  little  value.  And  hence  it  is,  that  a  man  with  gold, 
and  without  religion,  is  frequently  more  valued  than  a 
man  with  religion,  but  zuithout  gold. 

Stocks  rise  in  the  market,  according  to  the  demand 
for  them.  And  so  it  is  in  the  churches  in  these  latter 
days.  If  the  demand  be  for  polemic  preaching  to  pro- 
mote pugilism  in  the  churches,  or  for  ponderous  purses 
to  push  forward  the  car  of  pride,  pageantry,  and  pomp, 
then  will  polemics  and  purses  command  a  premium  in 
the  churches.  But  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  demand  be 
for  broken  and  contrite  spirits,  to  widen  and  deepen 
the  river  that  makes  glad  the  city  of  our  God,  as  it 
flows  through  this  curse-smitten  earth,  then  such  will 
be  highly  prized.  It  is  no  strange  thing,  then,  to  see 
churches  now  leave  the  road  marked  out  for  them  by 
the  Captain  of  their  salvation,  to  turn  to  the  right  or 
left,  according  as  they  have  their  own  purposes  to  ac- 
complish by  it. 

The  thing  so  much  sought  after  now  is  not  grace, 
but  gold.  How  shall  it  be  obtained?  Men  must  be 
brought  into  the  church  who  possess  it.     But,  how 


22  Church  Dehts. 

shall  they  be  brought  in?  The  following  conversation, 
that  was  heard  in  this  city,  no  matter  now  when  or  by 
whom,  will  help  to  explain  this  difficulty. 

Elder  A.  Good  morning,  brother  B.  Say,  how  did 
you  like  Mr.  C.'s  sermon  yesterday'? 

Brother  B.  Very  much,  indeed.  It  is  just  the  kind 
of  preaching  we  need.  It  is  so  plain  that  every  body 
could  understand  it.  And  then  it  was  so  scriptural. 
I  think,  if  we  had  such  preaching,  we  should  soon  see 
a  change  in  our  congregation.  Were  you  not  much 
pleased  ? 

Elder  A.  Well,  I  can't  say  but  I  was;  but  then  he 
will  not  do  for  our  congregation.  He  is  not  the  man 
for  us. 

Brother  B.  Why  not?  J  think  our  best  people 
would  vote  for  him.  I  know  they  were  greatly  edified 
yesterday.     I  really  was  hoping  that 

Elder  A.  The  Truth  is,  brother  B.,  such  preaching 
will  not  collect  the  kind  of  people  that  we  need  just 
now.  1  don't  doubt  but  he  could  do  great  good;  but  a 
church  full  of  a  certain  kind  of  people  don't  add  much 
to  the  treasury.  You  understand  me.  But  there  is 
Mr.  D. ;  he  is  just  the  man  we  need.  He  is  a  popular 
man.  If  we  get  him,  (and  he  can  be  got,)  you  will 
soon  see  a  row  of  carriages,  every  Sabbath,  extending 

from   the  church,  down street,  for  more  than  a 

square.  He  would  soon  fill  our  church,  and  pay  ofT our 
debt.  But  I  must  go.  Remember  the  congregational 
meeting  to-morrow  night.     Good  morning. 

I  will  merely  state  here  now,  that  at  the  election 
for  a  pastor,  Mr.  C.  was  not  chosen,  nor  is  their  debt 
yet  removed.  They  don't  mean  to  pay  it,  but  are  la- 
boring and  praying  that  others  may  help  them  to  do 
what  they  might  easily  manage  to  do  themselves. 

Such  conduct  reminds  me  of  a  singular  custom  that 
exists  among  the  Hindoos,  which  I  will  mention,  and 
conclude  this  letter.  It  is  this.  Every  Hindoo,  who 
is  not  physically  incapacitated,  must  be  married,  ac- 
cording to  the  laws  of  Menu,  at  least  once  in  his  life. 
To  secure  this  result,  the  parents  do  all  the  courting 


An  Interesting  Custom.  23 

for  their  children,  whom  they  betroth  at  the  ages  of 
from  six  to  twelve  years.  This  is,  in  fact,  the  mar- 
riage. The  ceremony  on  this  occasion  occupies  ten 
days.  When  these  betrothed  ones  arrive  at  the  age 
of  maturity,  having  lived  in  the  meantime  at  their  re- 
spective homes,  the  betrothing  is  confirmed,  and  the 
husband  takes  his  wife  now  to  his  own  house.  The 
services  on  this  occasion  occupy  several  days.  As 
marriage  is  considered  one  of  the  most  important 
events  in  the  life  of  a  Hindoo,  no  expense  is  spared  to 
make  the  wedding  honorable  to  the  caste  to  which  the 
parties  belong.  The  Brahmtins  and  the  musicians  are 
to  be  paid  for  their  services,  and  all  the  friends  present 
are  to  be  feasted.  Each  one  must  carry  home  with 
him  a  present  of  a  fan,  money,  or  something  else 
from  the  hands  of  the  married  pair,  that  they  may 
supplicate  the  gods  to  bestow  upon  them  many  sons. 
In  a  vast  majority  of  cases,  the  parents  have  not  the 
means  to  meet  all  the  expenses  of  the  occasion.  They 
give  what  they  can,  and  borrow  the  balance  from  the 
shroffs,  (brokers,)  for  which  they  pay,  never  less  than 
twelve  per  cent.,  and  oftentimes  twenty-five.  Time 
rolls  on.  These  parents  die,  and  the  borrowed  money 
is  not  paid.  The  shroff  then  makes  his  demand  on  the 
young  man,  who  has  to  bear  the  burden  of  the  debt 
his  father  contracted  at  his  marriage,  to  support  the 
dignity  of  their  caste,  and  to  propitiate  the  favor  of  the 
gods.  He  is  thus,  at  his  entrance  on  the  business  of 
life,  encumbered  with  a  debt  which  weighs  him  down, 
and  which  keeps  him  at  the  mercy  of  his  creditor  all 
his  days.  Should  he,  in  his  turn,  have  children  to 
marry,  he  pursues  the  same  course.  If  I  had  you 
there  now,  I  could  point  you  out  men  who  are  in  debt, 
not  only  for  their  own  marriage,  but  are  paying  inter- 
est for  the  money  which  was  expended  at  their  father's, 
yea,  their  grandfather's,  marriage !  This  is  what  I 
call  inheriting  the  blessing  of  their  fathers,  a-la-mode 
Hindoo. 

But,  seriously,  where  is   the  justice  or  the  religion  of 
such  a  system  of  things'?     I  am  sure  there  is  just  as 


24  Church  Debts. 

much  good  se?ise,  and  quite  as  much  religion  in  it,  as 
there  is  in  the  unscriptural  practice  of  congregations 
incurring  a  debt  in  the  erection  of  a  church,  which 
they  cannot  or  do  not  pay,  and  which  ihey  piously 
throw  upon  the  necks  of  children.  It  is  an  abominable 
iniquity. 

I  shall  consider,  in  my  next  letter,  the  "bond  of 
union'''  and  the  activity  which  church  debts  produce. 

I  remain  yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church 
debts.  W.  R. 


LETTER  V. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  look  at  the  two  great 
blessings  of  church  debts,  as  mentioned  in  my  last  let- 
ter. We  are  gravely  told  that  church  debts,  in  the  first 
place,  act  as  a  bond  of  union;  and,  secondly,  that  they 
keep  the  church  members  active  and  awake. 

1.  Church  debts  act  as  a  bond  of  union ;  and,  there- 
fore, are  not  only  to  be  endured,  but  are,  in  themselves, 
actually  good. 

I  certainly  have  no  objection  to  unions,  when  pro- 
perly formed  and  of  the  right  kind.  But  surely  every 
union  is  not  a  blessing.  If  a  worthy  j'ounglady  should 
unite  herself  to  a  young  man,  honest,  industrious,  in- 
telligent, and  sober,  and  in  other  respects  worthy  of 
her,  no  one  could  find  reason  to  object.  But  would 
you,  for  the  sake  of  promoting  union,  recommend  her 
to  marry  a  drunkard,  or  a  drunkard  in  the  bud,  or, 
what  is  infinitely  worse,  a  drunkard-maker  ?  Surely 
not.  That  would  be  the  union  of  virtue  to  vice,  and 
the  spirit  of  life  to  the  body  of  death.  Neither  would 
you  favor  the  union  of  Church  and  State,  though  it 
should  be  done  with  silken  cords  by  the  soft  hands  of 
the  sons  of  Loyola.  It  is  not  union,  in  itself  considered, 
to  which  I  would  object,  but  it  is  the  kind  of  union 
contemplated  which  we  oppose. 


The  Union  they  Produce.  25 

But  let  us  look  at  the  union  that  a  church  debt  pro- 
duces. And  before  we  do  so,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
refer  again  to  the  Apostolic  church,  to  see  what  was 
the  bond  of  union  among  them.  By  reference  to  an 
ancient  history,  we  learn  that  the  members  of  the 
church  continued  steadfast  in  the  Apostle's  doctrine  and 
fellowship,  and  that  the  same  grand  objects  which  oc- 
cupied the  thoughts,  excited  the  feelings,  and  prompted 
the  daily  and  fervent  prayers  of  the  Apostles,  possess- 
ed the  minds  of  the  church  members,  and  bound  them 
together  as  one  family  in  Christ.  They  had  all  things 
common,  because  they  had  one  common  cuuse.  They 
who  possessed  an  abundance,  parted  with  their  goods 
to  give  to  their  poorer  brethren,  as  they  had  need. 
The  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts,  and  un- 
tiring zeal  for  the  salvation  of  their  fellow- men,  and 
their  keeping  in  view  the  recompense  of  reward, 
formed  a  three-fold  cord,  not  easily  broken,  to  bind 
their  hearts  together.  It  was  tied  tight  around  them 
by  the  hand  of  persecution.  This  was  their  bond  of 
union.  Is  it  not  surprising  that  they  never  seemed  to 
think  of  the  magic  power  of  a  church  debt  as  a  bond 
of  union?  They  might  then  just  as  easily  have  dis- 
pensed with  their  three-fold  cord  of  lore,  zeal,  and  hope, 
and  the  hard  knot  of  persecution  with  which  it  was 
tied,  as  the  enlightened  churches  of  the  nineteenth 
century  have  done.  But,  it  is  presumed,  they  did  what 
they  thought  right  in  the  circumstances  in  which  they 
were  placed.  1  certainty  am  not  blaming  them  for 
the  course  they  pursued  ;  for  they  seemed  to  be  whol- 
ly ignorant  of  any  other  way  of  doing  the  work  of 
their  Lord,  and  of  journeying  home  to  heaven,  than 
by  facing  danger,  enduring  the  cross,  despising  the 
shame  of  it,  and  resisting  unto  blood,  striving  against 
sin.  All  I  mean  to  fix  your  mind  upon  now  is,  the 
simple  fact,  that  they  could  be  united  without  a  church 
debt.  But,  do  not  forget  the  objects  which  these  simple- 
hearted  Christians  aimed  to  obtain  by  their  bond  of 
union.  It  was,  to  glorify  God  in  the  salvation  of  their 
fellow-men,  irrespective  of  their  grade  in  society,  their 


26  Church  Debts. 

name,  or  nation.  With  them,  a  man  was  a  man,  whe- 
ther he  was  found  "  faring  sumptuously  every  day,"  or 
"sitting  by  the  wayside  begging."  But  times  have 
changed,  and  men  with  them.  And  now  a  church  debt 
must  do  for  us  what  love  and  zeal  did  for  the  Apostolic 
churches. 

Let  us  see  how  this  bond  unites  now  the  members 
of  the  same  household  of  faith.  Here  is  a  congrega- 
tion regulaily  organized,  on  the  improved  plan  in  these 
latter  days,  with  her  full  corps  of  Trustees.  Men  like 
Stephen,  "  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  are  not 
essentially  necessary  here,  as  the  work  to  be  done  may 
be  done  without  prayer,  and  without  the  wisdom  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  as  it  often  is.  This  congregation  have 
procured  for  themselves  a  house  of  worship.  It  is  just 
the  thing.  It  is  large  enough  for  them,  and  for  gene- 
rations to  come.  It  is  not  paid  for.  A  large  debt  re- 
mains upon  it,  and  that  is  the  bond  of  union.  Now 
they  are  ready  for  action.  The  work  to  be  done  is 
three-fold.  1st.  To  convert  men;  2d.  To  pay  the  in- 
terest on  the  debt ;  3d.  Then  the  debt  itself.  These 
are  the  grand  objects  of  their  aim  as  a  church.  At 
first,  the  weight  of  souls,  dying  in  sin,  presses  heavily 
on  their  conscience,  and  impels  ihem  to  action,  and  to 
be  united  in  their  action.  But  another  claim  comes  in 
upon  them — the  interest  of  a  heavy  debt.  Now  it  al- 
ways happens  that,  when  two  tilings  claims  the  atten- 
tion at  the  same  time,  the  one  which  the  man  feels  to 
be  the  most  urgent  at  the  time  is  the  one  he  will  attend 
to,  however  the  other  may  be  neglected.  The  one 
must  be  attended  to;  the  other  may  be  postponed.  It 
is  just  so  in  the  matter  of  saving  souls  and  paying  inte- 
rest money.  This  last  item  the  church  feels  must  be 
attended  to ;  and  hence,  for  the  time  being,  the  saving 
of  souls  becomes  a  secondary  consideration.  They 
seem  to  reason  thus:  creditors  won't  wait  on  us,  but 
God  will  wait  on  sinners;  and  of  course  they  act  ac- 
cordingly. It  is  a  hard  thing,  as  every  minister  can 
testify,  to  recall  the  minds  of  the  people  back  to  the 
work  of  laboring  directly  for  the  salvation  of  men,  af- 


How  they  Bind  the  Mertibers.  27 

ter  a  special  effort  has  been  made  to  pay  the  interest 
of  a  heavy  debt.  Where,  now,  is  the  spirit  they  once 
manifested  for  the  conversion  of  men?  It  is  gone. 
Their  conversation  and  their  thoughts  are  turned,  and 
necessarily,  too,  from  souls  and  salvation  to  debts  and 
dollars. 

Church  debts,  we  are  told,  act  as  a  bond  of  union 
among  the  members  of  the  church.  1  grant  it.  The 
union  which  they  form,  however,  is  not  one  of  love  to 
each  other ;  but  one  of  obligation  to  those  who  hold  legal 
claims  against  the  property.  Jt  makes  the  people 
slaves  ;  for  the  Bible  declares  that  "  the  borrower  is 
the  slave  of  the  lender."  And,  in  many  cases,  the 
lender  has  no  more  real  love  for  the  house  of  God,  and 
his  people,  than  Sanballat  had  for  the  temple  of  the 
Jews.  How  would  it  appear  in  our  eyes  if  the  Jews 
had  erected  the  temple  of  the  Lord  in  the  days  of  Ne- 
hemiah,  and  to  do  so  had  borrowed,  on  mortgage,  the 
necessary  funds  from  Tobiah  the  Ammonite,  and  Ge- 
shem  the  Arabian?  Bad  as  they  were,  they  had  too 
much  religion  to  do  so.  But  Jews,  in  our  day,  and 
men  "  who  deny  the  Lord  that  bought  them,"  hold 
mortgages  on  Christian  churches. 

When  the  members  of  a  church  build  a  house  for 
the  Lord,  not  by  voluntary  contributions,  but  on  the 
joint-stock  principle,  then  the  debt  on  the  church  forms 
a  strong  bond  of  union  among  the  stockholders,  at  all 
events,  to  bind  them  together.  But  what  is  the  thing 
for  which  they  feel  that  they  are  bound  together  in 
such  tender  bonds  I  Is  it  to  save  souls  only,  or  is  it, 
in  part,  to  secure  their  property  invested  in  God's 
house?  I  wonder  if  there  is  no  desire,  at  any  time, 
among  some  of  the  stockholders,  to  have  an  attractive 
preacher,  so  that  the  house  may  be  filed,  and  that  the  value 
of  the  property  invested  in  the  house  may  rise  in  proportion 
as  the  fame  of  the  preacher  is  in  the  ascendant  ?  I  do  not 
sav  that  it  is  so.  I  remember  that  I  once  asked  a  cap- 
tain in  the  British  army  in  Bombay,  whether  he  ever 
felt  desirous  that  some  of  the  officers  above  him  should 
die,  so  that  he  might  be  promoted  1     He  frankly  con- 


2ft  Church  Debts. 

fessed  that  he  often  had  such  desires.  He  had  no  spe- 
cial desire  that  his  brother  officers  should  be  shot  in 
battle,  but  he  did  desire  that  he  himself  might  be  pro- 
moted;  and  as  the  only  chance  of  that  was  to  have 
some  of  the  superior  officers  fall  gloriously  on  the  field 
of  battle,  he  had  no  special  objection  to  that  mode  of 
his  being  promoted.  Now,  as  Solomon  tells  us  that 
"as  in  water  face  answereth  to  face,  so  the  heart  of 
man  to  man,"  we  may  conclude  that  the  heart  of  a 
Christian  man  in  the  church  militant  answers  to  the 
heart  of  a  Christian  man  in  the  army  militant.  And 
we  may  draw  this  conclusion  the  more  readily  from 
facts  like  the  following:  Elder  Nameless,  of  the  City 
of  Brotherly  Love,  owned  property  in  one  of  God's 
houses,  in  the  shape  of  a  pew,  to  the  amount  of  nearly 
$400,  including  a  cushion,  (not  a  pillow  for  the  elbows 
to  lean  on,  according  to  the  Asiatic  custom,  but  a  sim- 
ple cushion.)  He  was  induced  to  worship  God  else- 
where, and  his  property  was  offered  for  sale.  After 
various  offers  and  refusals,  he  finally,  as  a  special  fa- 
vor, sold  it  to  his  brother  Christian  at  an  advance  of 
$200.  Thus,  by  this  simple  speculation,  he  had  re- 
funded to  him  more  than  he  had  given  to  the  support 
of  the  gospel  in  that  church  for  the  previous  five 
years.  In  giving  me  this  account,  he  did  not  fail  to 
point  out  to  me  one  of  the  benefits  of  good  preaching, 
viz.:  it  raises  the  value  of  the  stock  in  the  churches. 
Do  you  not  see  how  strong  a  bond  of  union  a  church 
debt  is? 

There  are  others  who  are  under  similar  bonds  of 
attachment  to  God's  house;  but  with  them  the  attach- 
ment arises  from  another  consideration.  The  stock 
is  below  par.  Still,  their  love  for  the  church  flourishes, 
first,  from  a  consideration  of  the  good  already  receiv- 
ed ;  and,  second,  from  the  hope  of  a  future  and  greater 
good  in  the  rise  of  the  stock. 

Persecution  for  righteousness' sake  united  the  hearts 
of  primitive  Christians  in  a  firm  bond  of  love;  and  la- 
boring to  win  souls  to  Christ  has  done  the  same  thing. 
But,  we  are  informed  in  these  latter  days,  that  the 


Their  Influence.  29 

family  of  Christ  can  be  united,  not  on  the  principle  of 
attraction,  by  the  love  of  Christ,  but  on  the  principle  of 
compression,  by  the  specific  gravity  of  a  church  debt. 
Why  did  not  the  primitive  Christians  discover  this 
principle  ?     Alas,  they  had  not  learned  to  spiritualize 
the  words  of  their  Lord.     They  supposed  that  they 
must  understand  His  words  literally.     And  that  when 
he  told  them  not  to  lay  up  for  themselves  treasures  on 
the  earth ;  that  it  was  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  re- 
ceive;  that  he  that  giveth  must  do  it  with  liberality ; 
and  that  they  should  "  lend,  hoping  for  nothing  again," 
not  even  interest  on  money  lent  to  build  a  house  for  the 
worship  of  God ;  they  supposed  He  meant  just  what 
He  said,  and  they  acted  accordingly.  But  if  they  could 
only  have  followed  the  churches  in  this  land,  instead 
of  the  church  in  Jerusalem,  as  their  model;  if  they 
could  have  seen  the  happy  influence  of  church  debts, 
to  unite  the  hearts  of  Christians  in  bonds  of  love  to 
God  and  one  another;  how  tenderly  they  love  one  an- 
other; how  deep  their  sympathy  flows;  how  willing 
they  are  to  pluck  out  their  own  eyes  (not  their  neigh- 
bor's) for  their  ministers;  how  tender  they  are  of  their 
reputation ;  how  willingly,  promptly,  and  liberally  they 
support  their  ministers,  by  yielding  them  "that  com- 
petent worldly  maintenance  which  they  promise,  and 
whatever  else  they  see  is  needful  for  the  honor  of  reli- 
gion and  their  comfort  among  them ;"   how  careful 
they  are  to  roll  all  the  care  of  worldly  things  from  off 
their  pastors,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  give  themselves 
M  continually  to  prayer  and  to  the  ministry  of  the 
word;"    how    tenderly    and    patiently    the    stronger 
churches    support    the    weak;    how   united   in  their 
prayers  and  efforts  to  restore  the  wanderers  from  God 
to  the  bosom  of  their  Father ;  how  quickly  churches 
arise  all  over  the  land,  where  they  are  needed ;  how 
firmly  they  resist  error,  and  especially  the  error  of 
those  who  hold  that  "  gain  is  godliness,"  and  that  jus- 
tify the  wicked  for  reward  in  church  or  state ;  how 
firmly  they  resist  the  encroachments  of  the  Man  of 
Sin ;  and  how  careful  to  train  up  their  children  in  the 

3 


30  Church  Debts, 

nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord; — yes,  if  they 
could  have  seen  all  this,  and  had  but  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  the  church  in  the  nineteenth  century,  we 
should  not  have  had  the  sad  accounts  we  have  of  their 
being  stoned  for  infringing  on  the  rights  of  others  ;  lo$~ 
ing  their  heads  for  reproving  adulterous  rulers;  and  be- 
ing beaten  for  producing  such  Ephesian,  uproarious 
tumults  as  they  did.  But  they  were  ignorant  of  the 
blessing  of  church  debts  as  a  bond  of  union,  and  of  the 
mighty  power  of  unpaid  for  houses,  bells,  costly  organs, 
and  steeples,  to  draw  men  from  the  love  of  the  world  to 
the  love  of  God.  They  acted  ignorantly  and  in  un- 
belief of  the  blessings  of  church  debts,  and  surely  we 
ought  to  forgive  them.     What  think  ye  ? 

I  will  consider  the  stirring  effect  of  a  debt  upon  the 
churches  in  my  next. 

I  remain  yours,  as  ever,  in  the  warfare  against 
church  debts.  W.  R. 


LETTER  VI. 

There  is  but  one  more  of  the  so-called  blessings  of 
church  debts,  which  I  wish  to  consider  before  I  speak 
of  the  positive  evils  of  the  system.  That  one  is  the 
spirit  of  activity  which  a  debt  produces  in  the  members 
of  a  church :  "  it  keeps  them  in  exercise,"  (we  are 
told ;)  "  it  gives  them  something  to  do ;"  "  it  keeps 
them  at  the  work." 

Activity  is  essential  to  the  spiritual  health  of  any 
church.  As  in  the  natural,  so  in  the  spiritual  world, 
activity  is  the  very  soul  of  existence.  Look  at  yonder 
Asiatic  pool  of  water.  Why  that  death-like  silence 
which  reigns  over  it  ?  No  voice  of  the  wild  bird  is 
heard  there.  No  ripple  is  made  on  its  green  and  leaden 
surface  by  any  of  the  finny  tribe  which  God  has  made 
to  sport  in  the  waves.    The  broad  leaves  of  the  Lotus 


The  Krishnu  River.  31 

lie  lazily  on  its  surface,  and  spread  themselves  far  and 
wide  amid  the  mosses  which  luxuriate  among  them. 
Baleful  exhalations  rise  up,  and  spread  contagion  and 
death  all  around.  Why  all  this?  You  tell  me  it  is 
no  surprising  thing.  It  is,  must  be  so.  It  is  a  stagnant 
pool.  And  like  the  dark  waters  of  the  fabled  Acheron, 
or  the  bitter  waters  of  Meribah,it  must  spread  disease 
and  death  all  around. 

But  look  now  at  the  little  stream  which  gushes  out 
from  the  Gae-mooch,  the  cow's  mouth.*     It  tumbles 
over  rock  after  rock  in  its  onward  course.     At  one 
time  it  dashes  forward  with  wild  impetuosity.    At  an- 
other, it  glides  smoothly  on  with  majestic  stillness.  Its 
waters  teem  with  life.     Here,  in  the  gently  whirling 
eddies,  and,  there,  in  the  foaming  waves,  the  fish  leap 
and  sport  at  their  ease,  and  rejoice  in  their  healthy 
and  secure  abode,  as  if  conscious  of  the  fact  that  they 
have  been  deified  and  are  adored  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  land.     The  wild  beasts  of  the  forest,  the  lowing 
herds  and  the  bleating  flocks  of  the  plain,  wend  their 
way  to  its  margins,  and  drink  of  its  life-giving  stream, 
while  the  air  resounds  with  the  melodious  warbling  of 
the  songsters  of  the  wood,  which  here  find  a  shady  re- 
treat amidst  the  groves  and  the  flowers  which  skirt  ita 
banks.     Temple  after  temple,  and  village  after  village, 
adorn  its  shores,  wThile  myriads  of  the  people  plunge 
into  the  waves  to  drink,  to  bathe,  and  to  adore  this 
incarnation  of  the  God.    Beauty,  health,  freshness,  life, 
and  joy  abound.     And  why  all  this?     I  answer,  the 
Krishnu  is  a  flowing  stream.     "  It  lives,"  as  the  Hin- 
doos forcibly  express  it,  and  it  retains  its  life  by  ita 
activity. 

What  is  true  in  regard  to  the  fountain  and  the  pool, 
is  true  of  the  human  frame.  See  yon  vile  Yogee.  His 
hair  is  matted  and  twisted  in  with  coir,  (fibres  of  the 
cocoa-nut,)  and  formed  into  a  huge    rope,  which  is 


*  The  Hindoos  have  chiseled  a  large  rock  into  the  shape  of  a  coy>\ 
head,  with  open  mouth,  through  which  the  waters  of  the  Krishnu  river 
flow,  as  they  issue  from  the  mountain. 


32  Church  Debts. 

twined  around  his  smeared  brow.  The  vermin  crawl 
over  him.  His  arm  is  paralyzed.  His  nails  are 
long  and  twisted,  like  the  horns  of  the  Hureen,  (a  species 
of  antelope.)  His  senses  are  stupefied  with  the  intoxi- 
cating bhang.  He  is  but  one  remove  from  idiocy  it- 
self. Why  all  this?  The  answer  is — want  of  the 
needful  exercise. 

But  what  is  true  in  regard  to  the  body  is  also  true 
in  regard  to  the  faculties  of  the  soul.  Nor  is  it  less 
true  in  spiritual  things.  There  is  just  as  much  neces- 
sity for  Christians  to  exercise  the  graces  of  the  spirit, 
to  cause  them  to  grow  and  flourish,  as  there  is  for  the 
child  to  exercise  its  limbs,  that  it  may  grow  up  into 
the  stature  and  strength  of  a  perfect  man.  God  has 
made  men  for  activity.  And  it  is  only  when  they  do 
violence  to  the  laws  of  their  rational  and  moral  nature, 
that  they  feel  disposed  to  sit  down  in  inglorious  ease, 
and  spend  their  lives  in  laboriously  doing  nothing.  Like 
the  Fakeer,  many  seem  to  think  that  the  very  essence 
of  bliss  on  earth  consists  in  stupidity,  or  in  being  the 
mere  passive  recipients  of  such  joy  as  may  find  its 
way  into  their  souls  through  their  half-closed  organs 
of  sense.  And  like  the  Hindoo  devotee,  with  them 
glory  itself  consists  in  mere  absorption. 

It  is  owing,  I  doubt  not,  to  the  erroneous  views 
which  many  in  the  church  have  on  this  point,  that  we 
see  so  many  overgrown  infants  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  these  latter  days.  When  they  should  be 
strong  men,  and  enduring  hardness  as  good  soldiers  of 
Christ,  they  have  need  to  be  fed  still  on  milk.  They 
have,  like  Jeshurun,  "  waxed  fat"  in  their  spiritual  in- 
dolence, and  are  now  both  a  burden  to  themselves  and 
to  those  who  have,  in  self-defence,  to  carry  them  for- 
ward. A  man,  laboring  under  an  attack  of  the  gout, 
once  called  on  Dr.  A.,  of  London,  for  a  remedy.  He 
said  to  the  man,  in  a  stern  tone,  "  Go  home,  sir;  live 
on  sixpence  a-day,  and  earn  it."  If  all  the  members  of 
our  churches  would,  as  Christ  tells  them,  labor  for  the 
meat  that  perishes  not,  we  should  not  find  so  many 
smothering  spiritually  in  their  own  indolence.    Activity 


THE  YOGEE. 


Activity,  33 

is  the  cure.  The  Christian  who  is  active  in  the  cause 
of  God  is,  and  must  be,  a  growing  Christian.  Place 
him  where  you  choose,  he  will  ripen  for  heaven.  Let 
him  labor  in  the  Sabbath  school — in  the  Bible  class — 
in  the  prayer  meeting — in  visiting  the  sick — in  doing 
good,  by  conversing  with  his  fellow-men,  and  in  invit- 
ing them  to  come  to  the  house  of  God,  or  in  convers- 
ing with  them  of  the  love  of  God;  and  he  will  be  like 
the  tree  planted  by  the  streamlets  of  water,  which, 
being  thus  watered  daily,  will  bear  fruit  abundantly. 
It  was  so  with  the  primitive  Christians.  They  were 
oft-times  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  hand  of  per- 
secution, but  they  went  every  where  preaching  the 
gospel.  I  have  no  doubt  but  there  are  multitudes  of 
persons  in  this  city,  men  and  women,  who  imagine 
they  are  Christians,  for  they  bear  the  name ;  and  yet, 
after  all  their  professions  of  love  to  God  and  man, 
they  have  never  yet  had  so  much  religion  as  to  ask 
their  friends  and  their  neighbors  to  come  to  God,  or 
to  go  with  them  to  heaven.  Yes,  there  are  many  in 
the  churches  who  are  transacting  business  with  their 
fellow-men,  whom  they  know  are  on  the  road  to  end- 
less woe;  and  yet,  perhaps,  for  fear  of  losing  their 
custom  or  their  favor,  they  permit  them  to  go  on  and 
perish  in  their  sins.  These  are  active  in  the  world, 
but  stupid  in  the  church. 

If  anything  can  be  done  to  arouse  the  man  and 
make  him  active  in  the  cause  of  God,  so  that  he  may 
be  saved,  (for  I  hold  it  a  self-evident  truth,  that  no 
lazy  man  can  get  to  heaven,)  it  will  be  a  blessing  to 
the  church  and  to  the  world.  But  will  a  church  debt 
do  it?  It  has  been  proposed;  it  has  been  tried;  and 
it  has  invariably  had  the  contrary  effect.  What  min- 
ister ever  preached  or  prayed  better  because  he  was 
encumbered  with  a  church  debt?  Do  the  elders  pray 
better  for  being  in  debt  ?  Does  it  promote  the  holi- 
ness of  the  members  to  be  in  debt,  when  God  says, 
"  Owe  no  man  anything?"  When,  I  ask,  has  a  church 
debt  made  Christians  pray  more  for  each  other?  When 
has  it  released  them  from  the  perplexity  of  worldly 
3* 


34  Church  Debts. 

affairs,  to  enable  them  to  devote  their  whole  hearts 
and  their  time  to  the  service  of  God?  It  never  did, 
and  never  will. 

It  may  produce  activity,  but  not  for  the  salvation  of 
men.  None  of  the  Apostles  ever  needed  this  stimulus  to 
urge  them  forward.  The  love  of  Christ  constrained 
them  to  be  active  for  God ;  but  zve  need  a  church  debt! 
— a  sad  exchange  for  the  love  of  God.  It  is  the  refine- 
ment of  nonsense. 

But  I  have  said  enough  on  this  part  of  the  subject. 
I  have  a  few  thoughts  on  the  positive  evils  of  the  sys- 
tem. 

I  am  yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church  debts. 

W.  R. 


LETTER  VII. 

As  I  have  considered,  in  my  previous  letters,  the  so- 
called  blessings  of  **  Church  Debts,"  I  will  now  turn 
your  attention  to  some  of  the  innumerable  positive 
evils  of  the  system.  Eternity  alone  can  fully  reveal 
these  evils.  The  system  is  in  the  highest  degree  in- 
jurious to  the  cause  of  Christ  on  earth.  It  ruins  souls ; 
it  hinders  the  spirituality  of  the  church,  and,  as  to  some 
churches,  it  operates  more  powerfully  than  all  other 
causes  put  together  to  render  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  of  no  effect.  It  is  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the 
legion  of  demons  which  possessed  the  man  of  Gadara. 
Him  they  stripped,  and  drove  out  to  dwell  in  the  tombs, 
and  they  drove  the  whole  herd  of  swine  to  destruction. 
But  a  church  groaning  under  the  weight  of  an  enor- 
mous debt  shuts  many  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  by 
preventing  them,  at  the  outset,  from  hearing  the  word 
of  God. 

To  give  point,  however,  to  my  remarks,  I  observe 
that  the  system  of  going  in  debt  in  the  erection  of 
churches  leads,  directly  and  unavoidably,  to  the  sin  of 
hypocrisy, 


Their  Evils,  35 

I  do  not  say  that  any  church  means  to  act  the  part 
of  hypocrisy  in  the  matter ;  but  the  system  leads  to  it. 
I  am  not  tenacious  of  the  word  in  this  case.  I  will 
give  you  my  meaning,  and  you  may  call  it  what  you 
please. 

I  take  it,  then,  for  granted  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
has  a  people  on  the  earth,  who  are  called  by  his  name, 
and  who  profess  to  possess  His  spirit.  To  them,  and 
not  to  others,  has  he  committed  the  glorious  work  of 
spreading  abroad  the  knowledge  of  his  name  and  cha- 
racter throughout  the  earth.  To  them,  especially,  does 
the  command  apply  to  keep  his  Sabbaths  and  to  reve- 
rence his  sanctuary.  They  are  to  be  the  lights  of  the 
world ;  the  reflectors  of  the  glory  of  God  ;  living  epis- 
tles, to  be  read  and  known  of  all  men.  Just  as  in  a 
looking-glass,  the  natural  features  of  the  man  that 
looks  into  it  are  seen,  so  God  designs  that  those  who 
look  into  his  word,  or  at  the  lives  and  conduct  of 
Christians,  God's  "  living  epistles,"  may  see  there  the 
holy  character  of  God  drawn  out  in  clear  lines,  and, 
by  contrast,  also  their  own  moral  deformity  fully  ex- 
hibited. But  if  Christians  will  not  conform  their  lives 
to  the  precepts  of  the  gospel ;  if  they  will  manifest  a 
different  temper  in  the  world  than  what  the  word  of 
God  requires,  then  are  they  found  "  false  witnesses" 
for  God.  The  great  mass  of  mankind  never  will  go  to 
the  Bible  to  know  what  religion  is,  or  what  the  real 
character  of  God  may  be.  They  look  at  God's  "liv- 
ing epistles,"  to  find  out  from  them  what  is  the  charac- 
ter of  both.  And  accordingly  as  they  see  Christians 
act,  so  will  they  decide  for  or  against  the  truth,  and 
the  excellency  of  that  religion  which  they  profess.  Is 
it  not  so?  How  often  have  ministers  had  the  cutting 
remark  made  to  them,  by  the  man  of  the  world,  as  he 
pointed  to  the  inconsistent  life  of  some  professor  of  re- 
ligion— "  Ha  !  if  such  are  your  Christians,  I  wish  not 
to  be  one ;  and  if  this  be  the  fruit  of  Christianity,  the 
world  is  better  without  it."  I  doubt  not  but  you  have 
often  heard  the  remark.  And  what  could  you  say  in 
reply  1    You  must  either  acknowledge  that  the  man  is 


86  Church  Debts. 

no  Christian  at  all,  or,  if  he  be,  he  does  not,  in  this  in- 
stance, live  up  to  the  profession  he  has  made.  He  pro- 
fesses one  thing,  and  does  another.  What  do  you  call 
such  conduct? 

Now,  when  I  look  at  the  Bible,  I  find  that  it  requires 
every  follower  of  Christ  to  be  devoted  to  his  service, 
and  to  consecrate  himself  and  all  he  has  to  the  promo- 
tion of  God's  glory  in  the  world.  And  the  man  who 
professes  religion,  professes  to  do  so.  Look  now  at 
this  little  band  of  Christians.  They  profess  to  be  pil- 
grims and  strangers  here.  They  have  taken  their 
Lord  for  their  pattern,  and  his  word  for  their  guide. 
They  seek  a  city,  that  is,  a  heavenly  one.  They  pro- 
fess that  all  they  have  belongs  to  God,  and  that  they 
are  only  stewards  appointed  by  him  in  the  distribution 
of  his  gifts  and  favors.  They  are  laying  up  treasures, 
not  on  the  earth,  but  in  heaven.  Their  grand  object 
on  the  earth  is  to  glorify  God  by  promoting  their  own 
spirituality  and  that  of  their  brethren,  and  by  instru- 
mentally  saving  their  fellow-men  from  the  wrath  that 
is  to  come.  This  is  their  aim.  Everything  else  is 
and  must  be  in  subserviency  to  this.  Jesus  must  be 
glorified,  and  they  are  happy  in  doing  it.  Earth  must 
receive  Him  as  her  king. 

In  carrying  forward,  then,  the  single  object  of  their 
union,  see  yon  Christian  band ;  they  meet  together  in 
an  upper  room.  They  sing ;  they  praise ;  they  pray. 
And  while  they  talk  of  the  love  of  God,  their  hearts 
burn  within  them.  But  they  have  a  work  to  do  for 
others  as  well  as  for  themselves.  Jesus  has  died,  not 
for  these  alone.  He  is  the  Saviour  for  the  world  of 
sinners.  The  Bible  is  for  the  enlightenment  of  the 
world.  They  are  but  the  depositories  of  the  truth. 
They  must  give  it  to  the  world.  How,  then,  shall  this 
be  accomplished?  Some  must  go  far  hence  to  the 
Gentiles,  while  others  must  stay  and  edify  the  flock  of 
Christ  at  home,  and  seek  to  gather  into  the  fold  of 
Christ  the  wanderers  that  are  near  at  hand.  To  aid 
them  in  this  work,  how  necessary  is  it  that  there  should 
be  a  house  erected  which  shall  accommodate  them  in 


A  Striking  Contrast.  37 

their  worship,  and  in  their  celebrating  the  ordinances 
of  the  Lord's  house.  But  their  object  is  to  let  their 
light  shine  out  also  to  others.  They  are  to  show  forth 
to  others  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come.  Looking,  then, 
upon  themselves  and  upon  all  they  have  as  the  Lord's, 
they  contribute,  as  God  may  enable  them,  to  erect  just 
such  a  house  as  may  honor  him  whose  they  are,  and 
whom,  in  this  work,  they  mean  to  serve.  They  build 
not  to  gratify  their  pride,  for  they  have  none.  They 
build  not  to  attract  the  admiration  of  the  world;  for 
that  would  defeat  the  very  object  they  have  in  view, 
viz.:  to  turn  the  eyes  of  men  away  from  the  vanities  of 
this  world  to  the  glories  of  heaven.  They  build  not 
that  they  may  have  the  chief  seats  in  the  house  of  God 
here,  for  that  very  spirit  would  deprive  them  of  a  seat 
in  the  temple  above.  They  build  not  that  the  ungodly- 
may  admire  their  skill  in  architecture,  in  sculpture,  and 
painting,  for  that  would  turn  their  eyes  from  Jesus, 
They  build  not  that  they  may  make  merchandise  of 
the  house  of  God,  by  selling  the  chief  seats  in  it  to 
those  who  pay  the  most  for  them,  for  that  wrould  give 
the  preference  to  the  rich  worldling,  and  crowd  out  of 
the  very  sanctuary  of  God  the  devout  and  the  humble 
poor.  They  build  not  that  they  may  invest  a  portion 
of  the  Lord's  money  (falsely  called  theirs)  in  the  house, 
and  thereby  get  gain  to  further  plans  of  their  own* 
They  build  not  under  a  show  of  great  benevolence  to 
men,  to  do  their  souls  good,  by  enticing  them  into  the 
church  through  pomp  and  show,  and  by  abstracting 
money  from  their  pockets  to  pay  for  the  house  they  have 
erected,  so  that  these  worldlings  may  not  be  hindered 
by  too  heavy  a  purse  from  going  to  heaven.  They 
build  not  to  get  them  a  name  in  having  the  "  finest 
house"  in  the  land,  while  their  children  shall  have  the 
unspeakable  pleasure  of  paying  for  the  pride  of  their 
fathers.  On  the  contrary,  they  build  just  such  a  house 
as  will  best  comport  with  their  character  as  Christians; 
one  which  they  can  pay  for,  so  as  to  "  owe  no  man 
anything;"  a  house  which,  when  it  is  completed,  they 
can,  with  grateful  hearts,  and  in  sincerity,  dedicate  to 
the  service  of  God,  to  be  his,  and  his  alone, 


38  Church  Debts. 

Now  look  at  this  band  of  Christians ;  poor  they  may 
be  in  this  world's  goods,  but  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of 
the  promises.  They  meet  together,  and  by  solemn 
prayer,  and  in  the  deep  sincerity  of  their  souls,  they 
devote  this  house  to  the  service  of  their  God.  It  is  the 
Lord's;  and  no  man  on  earth  has  now  any  personal 
claim  to  it,  further  than  the  right  to  worship  in  it,  both 
he  and  his  household.  Whatever  was  given  towards 
its  erection,  was  given  freely,  and  without  hope  of  gain. 
All  can  now  rejoice  in  the  work  of  their  hands.  And 
as  they  have  brought  their  tithes  and  offerings  to  the 
Lord,  they  can  reasonably  and  scripturally  look  up  to 
God  for  the  blessings  of  his  grace  to  descend  and  to 
rest  upon  them  and  their  families  and  neighbors.  Here 
is  sincerity.  Anything  else  is  the  contrary.  This  is 
according  to  scripture  example  and  scripture  precept 
This  is  the  apostolic  mode  of  preparing  a  house  for 
the  Lord.     Do  you  approve  of  it  ? 

Now  look  for  a  moment  at  a  modern  church,  with 
their  "  building  committee."  A  house  is  needed.  One 
of  3,000, 5,000,  or  $10,000  cost  would  be  large  enough 
for  the  church  and  the  community.  But  no ;  the  ex- 
pense must  be  twice  as  large,  at  least.  A  small  por- 
tion is  given,  and  in  many  cases  by  the  widow  and 
the  fatherless.  Those  who  are  wealthy  give  sparing- 
ly, but  often  lend  liberally.  The  house  is  built,  but  not 
paid  for.  Mr.  A.  has  lent  the  money,  and  has  taken  a 
mortgage  on  the  house.  It  is  his  in  fact,  though  per- 
haps not  in  form.  And  what  now?  The  ministers  of 
God,  old  and  young,  the  elders  and  the  people,  all  as- 
semble. A  sermon  is  preached — the  liberality?  of 
the  people  is  commended — the  beauty  of  the  house  is 
praised — great  castles  are  built  about  prospective  good 
— and  perhaps  that  very  house,  it  is  predicted,  will  be 
a  grand  means  of  hastening  on  the  millennial  day — 
6ongs  of  praises  are  sung — God's  name  is  invoked — 
and  the  house  is  most  solemnly  given  to  God — and  to 
show  the  deep  sincerity  of  the  people,  they  have  sealed 
up  a  Bible  in  the  corner-stone  of  the  building,  which 
had  previously  been  laid  there  by  solemn  prayer.  Now 


How  they  are  Paid,  39 

all  are  glad.     One  man  rejoices  with  trembling.    He 
has  hope  and  fear.  It  is  the  man  who  holds  the  largest 
claim  against  God's  house.     He  hopes  the  house  will 
be  filled,  and  that  he  will  be  paid.  But  he  fears  it  may 
not  be  so;  and  then  his  conscience  troubles  him ;  for 
how  can  he  sell  God's  house,  to  get  back  his  money  ? 
But  time,  which  waits  for  no  one,  moves  on.     Mr. 
A.  becomes  involved  in  the  perplexities  of  this  world. 
Creditors  press  on  him,  or  other  causes  urge  him  to  do 
what  he  had  never  thought  of  doing.     But  it  is  done. 
A  sheriff's  or  auctioneer's  bill  finds  its  way  to  the  walls 
of  God's  house  !    It  is  for  sale.    What !  is  God  in  debt, 
that  his  property  is  seized  to  pay  his  debts  to  man  1 
It  cannot  be.    Well,  who  is  1   Mr.  A.  is  in  debt.    Very 
well,  suppose  he  is !     But  what  right  has  any  man  to 
seize  upon  the  house  of  the  living  God  to  pay  Mr.  A.'s 
debts  1   That  is  worse  than  robbing  the  church.   Rob- 
bing takes  but  part,  this  takes  all.     But  Mr.  A.  has  a 
mortgage  on  the  house,  and  his  mortgage  is  his  pro- 
perty.    His  property  in  God's  house !      But  was  not 
this  house  given  to  God  by  the  people,  and  did  not  the 
ministers  and  the  elders  say,  Amen,  and  confirm  the 
deed  of  gift  to  God  1     And  who  now  has  a  right  to 
nullify  this  act !     Yes,  they  did  it  in  appearance,  but 
not  in  fact,  for  the  house  was  not  theirs'  to  give.    And 
must  all  this  praying,  this  solemn  consecrating,  these 
hopes  of  prospective  good,  go  to  the  winds'?  It  is  even 
so.  The  house  is  sold,  because  it  never  was  the  Lord's. 
And  now  the  world  sees,  and  the  church  feels,  that 
their  act,  in  professing  to  give  to  God  what  did  not  be- 
long to  them  to  give,  is,  and  must  be,  viewed  in  no 
other  light  than  that  of  hypocrisy.    If  that  be  too  hard 
a  name,  then  call  it  by  a  softer.     But  call  it  what  you 
will,  it  is  conduct  which  should  disgrace  the  actors  in 
the  matter  in  the  eyes  of  all  men,  as  it  does  incur  the 
displeasure  of  God.  Heathenism  would  blush  at  adeqd 
like  it. 

Yours,  as   ever,  in  the  warfare    against   church 
debts,  W.  R. 


40  Church  Debts, 


LETTER  VIII. 


Another  great  evil  of  a  church  debt  is,  that  it  per- 
verts the  gospel  ministry*  Next  in  importance  to  the 
gift  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spi- 
rit, stands  the  ministry  of  reconciliation.  It  is  God's 
appointed  mode  to  reclaim  sinners  from  the  error  of 
their  ways,  and  to  bring  them  back  to  God*  Although 
this  plan  may  be  foolishness  in  the  eyes  of  the  men  of 
this  world,  it  is  nevertheless  the  wisdom  of  God.  For, 
although  God  does  not  confine  himself  to  one  mode  of 
operation  in  the  conviction  of  sinners,  His  ordinary 
mode  is  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  Even  the 
circulation  of  the  Bible  itself  is  never,  according  to 
God's  plan,  to  take  precedence  of  preaching  the  gos- 
pel. When  the  Saviour  was  about  to  ascend  to  the 
throne  of  the  Father,  he  sent  forth  his  servants  to 
preach  the  gospel.  Ministers  are  Christ's  ambassadors 
to  a  revolted  world.  They  act  in  Christ's  stead.  And 
now  God,  through  them,  beseeches  men  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  Him.  They  that  despise  them  despise  God, 
whose  servants  they  are.  And  they  that  hinder  them 
in  their  appropriate  work  are  contending  against  God, 
and  are  hindering  the  work  of  salvation  in  the  world. 
No  thanks  to  ministers  for  preaching  the  gospel;  for 
wo  is  to  them  if  they  preach  it  not.  Their  salvation 
is  intimately  connected  with  their  duty  of  preaching, 
as  the  salvation  of  the  people  is  connected  with  their 
duty  of  hearing.  Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hear- 
ing by  the  word  of  God.  But  how  shall  they  hear 
without  a  preacher  ? 

When  the  Saviour  sent  down  his  ascension  gifts  on 
the  church,  we  find  that  he  gave  them  "  apostles,  pro- 
phets, evangelists,  pastors,  and  teachers,  for  the  per- 
fecting of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ."  This,  then,  is  the 
work  of  God's  ministers.  They  have  no  right,  if  really 
called  of  God  to  the  work,  ever  to  give  it  up,  till  he 


Calling  a  Minister.  41 

who  gave  them  their  commission  shall  give  them  are- 
lease  from  their  work.  And  fearful  will  be  the  account 
which  those  must  give  who  neglect  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  to  heap  up  for  themselves  the  treasures  or  the 
honors  of  this  world. 

As  the  work  of  the  ministry  is  for  the  perfecting  of 
the  saints,  and  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ, 
those  churches  which  receive  God's  ministers  among 
them,  should  receive  them  for  the  purpose  of  accom- 
plishing this  work.  If  they  receive  them  for  any  other 
object,  or  hinder  them  in  their  work,  He  that  walketh 
in  the  midst  of  the  candlesticks  doth  know  it.  The 
Son  of  Man  hath  placed  these  stars,  whom  he  holds  in 
his  right  hand,  in  the  midst  of  the  churches,  "  to  give 
them  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God." 
And  is  there  not  a  fearful  responsibility  resting  upon 
those  who,  in  any  way,  resist  the  great  design  of  God 
in  this  mattjr?  My  soul  trembles  for  the  churches, 
when  I  think  of  the  spirit  that  has  seized  them  in  these 
latter  days.  Their  pride  and  their  worldliness  have 
gotten  the  advance  of  their  humility;  and  now  they 
must  have  ministers  (if  such  can  be  had)  whose  labors 
among  them  may  foster  the  feelings  of  their  hearts. 
Hence  it  is,  that  when  a  congregation  is  about  to  call 
a  minister  of  Christ,  in  a  vast  multitude  of  cases,  the 
inquiry  is,  not  so  much  whether  they  shall  be  made 
perfect  in  holiness  through  his  ministrations,  as  whe- 
ther he  can,  in  their  judgment,  rear  up  and  perfect 
that  which  their  pride  and  worldliness  have  begun.  In 
the  choice  of  a  minister,  who,  I  ask,  is  consulted  by  the 
congregation,  and  what  motives  too  often  influence 
them  in  the  choice  they  make?  Do  they  leave  this 
matter  wholly  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  of  the  church? 
Do  they  hear  the  Spirit  who  speaketh  to  the  churches? 
and  do  they  hear  what  He  speaketh  ?  Do  they  draw 
nigh  to  God,  and  by  prayer  do  they  receive  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that  they  are  able  to  per- 
ceive the  mind  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ?  And  being  thus 
illumined  from  on  high,  do  they  then  hear  God's  mes- 
sengers, and,  from  a  knowledge  of  their  own  spiritual 
4 


4$  Church  Deits. 

case,  can  they  discern  that  this  or  that  one  is  the 
"star"  that  Jesus  designs  should  shine  in  the  midst  of 
their  candlestick?  Is  the  choice  of  a  pastor  made  by 
the  flock  of  Christ?  Are  they  for  whose  salvation  the 
ministry  was  appointed,  and  who  are  to  be  made  perfect 
in  Christ  Jesus,  the  persons  who  choose  their  shep- 
herds to  lead  them  by  the  still  w7aters  1  Ah,  how  sel- 
dom is  it  done  so  I  The  man  of  wealth  or  influence  in 
the  world,  and  without  religion,  is  called  upon  to  de- 
cide the  question,  and  to  say  who  is  to  feed  the  flock 
of  Christ!!  His  opinion  is  preferred  to  that  of  the 
child  of  God,  simply  and  solely  because,  if  his  feelings 
be  consulted,  his  purse  will  be  open  to  sustain  the  man 
called.  If  this  is  not  preferring  gain  to  godliness  tell 
me  what  it  is? 

But,  again.  The  church  is  in  debt,  and  how  does 
such  a  church  pray?  If  Heaven's  records  were  un- 
rolled, you  would  find  that  prayers  have  been  sent  up 
breathing  the  following  spirit:  **  O  Lord,  thou  Head  of 
the  Church;  send  us  a  man  after  thine  own  heart — a 
holy  man  of  God.  But  Oh  !  grant  that  he  may  be  a  po- 
pular man — a  man  who  shall  be  able  to  draw  into  this 
church  such  men  of  influence  and  of  property  as  shall 
enable  us  to  pay  oft*  our  debts;  and  may  they  be  saved. 
We  ask  not  such  as  many  of  thy  churches  now  pos- 
sess, and  under  whose  ministry  they  may  be  ripening 
for  heaven,  for  they  would  not  suit  us.  Oh  !  send  us  'a 
man  whose  eloquence  and  whose  powers  of  mind  shall 
shake  a  city  like  this,'  that  we,  as  a  church,  may  be 
glorified  in  the  eyes  of  our  brethren,  and  that  thine 
honor  may  thereby  be  promoted.  Send  such  an  one, 
and  send  him  speedily.  Behold  how  thy  flock  is  scat- 
tering to  other  churches.  Our  debt  is  increasing, 
while  our  ability  to  pay  is  on  the  decrease.  Oh  !  save, 
we  beseech  thee,  this  beautiful  house  from  passing  in- 
to the  hands  of  strangers.  Save  speedily,  for  thy  great 
name's  sake.     Amen." 

Did  you  ever  hear  a  prayer  like  this  ?  First,  an- 
swer this  question.  Did  you  never  hear  conversation 
like  this  in  spirit,  and  perhaps  partly  in  word  ?    If  you 


An  Appeal  to  the  Churches,  43 

have  not,  I  have.  Let  me  here  speak  in  God's  name 
to  the  churches.  I  do,  then,  most  solemnly  protest 
against  this  wicked  perversion  of  the  ordinance  of  God. 
Ye  churches  of  the  Saviour,  God's  ministers  are  not 
ordained  to  the  work  of  collecting  funds  from  your 
purses,  or  from  the  purses  of  the  men  of  the  world,  to 
pay  for  your  pride  or  worldiihess  in  erecting  houses 
for  the  Lord.  Why  will  you  transform  them  from 
angels  of  mercy  and  of  salvation  to  you  and  your  fami- 
lies, to  mere  beggars  for  the  silver  and  the  gold  of  earth, 
to  pay  for  your  pride,  and  thus  save  you  from  a  lasting 
disgrace?  Why  will  you  sit  in  solemn  judgment,  and 
pass  sentence  against  God's  ministers,  because  you 
judge  they  are  not  popular  enough  to  accomplish  your 
schemes  of  grandeur  and  folly?  Why  will  yon  allow 
the  men  of  this  world,  "  whose  god  is  their  belly,*'  to 
decide  who  shall  feed,  with  spiritual  food,  the  souls  of 
your  Christian  brethren,  and  of  your  children,  aye, 
and  your  own  souls  also?  Oh!  why  will  you  stand 
in  the  way  of  God's  ministers,  in  their  efforts  to  edify 
the  body  of  Christ,  and  degrade  them  to  the  work  of 
building  up  piles  of  brick  and  mortar,  and  drive  them 
from  their  houses,  and  from  the  study  of  God's  word, 
to  collect  funds  to  pay  for  the  tinkling  cymbals  or  the 
tinselled  ornaments  of  your  houses  of  worship  1  Why 
will  ye  do  it?  I  beseech  you,  by  the  mercies  of 
God,  that  ye  sin  no  longer  against  your  risen  Lord, 
by  throwing  upon  his  servants  a  work  He  never  gave 
them  to  do.  If  Jesus  should  come  back  to  earth  in 
humanity,  as  he  will,  would  you  set  him  to  work  to 
garnish  the  sepulchres  of  your  fathers,  and  decorate 
your  houses  of  worship?  Why,  then,  give  his  minis- 
ters, "the  angels  of  the  churches,"  this  work  to  do? 
Oh  !  repent  of  your  sins.  Do  your  first  works,  else 
Jesus  will  fight  against  you  with  the  sword  of  his 
mouth,  and  remove  your  candlestick  out  of  his  place, 
May  the  Saviour  have  mercy  upon  his  churches! 

Yours,  in   my  heart-felt  opposition  to  the  sin,   the 
curse  of  church  debts.  W,  R, 


44  Church  Debts. 


LETTER  IX. 


In  my  last  letter  I  endeavored  to  show  you  that 
church  debts  tended  directly  to  prevent  the  great  object 
of  preaching  the  gospel,  and  to  lead  churches  to  seek 
for  ministers,  not  so  much  to  save  souls  and  build  them 
up  in  the  faith,  as  to  help  them  to  pay  their  debts.  I 
merely  remark  now,  in  passing,  that  this  course  of  the 
church  is  exceedingly  impolitic,  as  well  as  wicked. 
For,  in  the  first  place,  ministers,  as  a  class  of  men,  by 
their  very  studies  and  training,  are  unfitted  to  engage 
in  the  management  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  church, 
as  is  necessary  in  a  case  like  the  one  contemplated. 
And,  second,  if  they  should  do  so,  they  must,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  neglect  the  appropriate  duties  of  their 
office,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree.  And,  third,  there 
are  multitudes  of  men  in  the  church,  who  could  attend 
to  the  subject  a  great  deal  better,  and  with  less  sacrifice 
of  time.  And  there  is  no  reason,  that  I  can  conceive 
of,  why  they  do  not  attend  to  it,  other  than  a  want  of 
love  to  God,  or  a  fear  that  it  may  interfere,  in  some 
way,  with  their  temporal  interests.  But,  fourth,  it  is 
absolutely  wicked  in  the  sight  of  God  for  any  congre- 
gation to  turn  the  minister  of  Christ  aside  from  his 
work  to  supply  their  lack  of  service  in  the  matter  of 
collecting  dollars  and  cents.  But  the  supremacy  of 
wickedness  in  this  matter  is,  their  making  the  preach- 
ing of  God's  gospel  a  mere  hook  to  fish  for  silver  and 
gold.     It  is  abominable. 

My  design,  in  this  letter,  is  to  show  you  that  church 
debts  tend  to  degrade  the  ministry  of  Christ. 

The  ministers  of  Christ  are  called,  by  the  Saviour 
himself,  "  the  stars"  which  he  holds  in  his  right  hand, 
and  which  he  has  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  churches, 
to  impart  to  them  that  light  which  they  receive  from 
him.  They  are  his  ascension  gifts  to  the  churches. 
They  are  his  watchmen,  placed  upon  the  walls  of  Zion, 
who  are  to  hear  the  word  from  the  mouth  of  their 


The  Subject  Illustrated.  45 

Lord,  and  to  warn  the  people  from  him.  They  are 
Christ's  ambassadors  to  treat  with  men  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  Gr>d.  Their  work,  in  the  fulfilment  of  these 
various  offices,  is  manifold,  and  yet  one.  It  requires 
much  study,  prayer,  watchfulness,  and  zeal,  and  espe- 
cially freedom  from  perplexing  and  unnecessary  cares. 
Anything,  then,  which  will  turn  them  aside  from  the 
appropriate  work  of  their  office,  must,  in  the  nature  of 
the  case,  tend  to  diminish  the  regard  which  the 
■churches  should  have  for  them  as  God's  ministers.  It 
tends,  also,  to  degrade  them  in  the  eyes  of  the  men  of 
the  world,  and  thus  prevents  them  from  exerting  that 
influence  over  them,  in  reference  to  their  salvation, 
which  they  should  have,  in  virtue  of  their  office,  and 
which  the  church,  that  seeks  their  good,  should  desire 
her  ministers  to  possess. 

But  let  me  illustrate  my  meaning.  Suppose  the  king 
should  descend  from  his  throne,  and  turn  shoe-bearer, 
or  a  mere  cooley,  (a  man  who  carries  burdens  on  his 
head  in  the  East;)  or  let  the  emperor  turn  groom  ;  let 
the  queen  turn  scullion;  let  the  judge  turn  tipstaff;  let 
the  President  turn  street-sweeper;  or  let  them  indivi- 
dually rather  unite  both  of  these  respective  offices,  and 
pursue  them  alternately,  as  occasion  may  demand,  and 
who  does  not  see  that  the  dignity  of  the  higher  stations 
must  be  brought  to  the  level  of  the  other?  I  am  say- 
ing nothing  here  as  to  the  moral  worth  of  those  who 
usually  fill  these  different  stations  in  life.  They  may 
be  all  equally  good,  or,  if  there  be  any  difference,  it 
may  be  in  favor  of  those  who  hold  inferior  stations. 
All  that  I  mean  to  say  is,  that  the  dignity  of  the  offices 
is  different.  And  if  the  king  will  turn  cooley,  or  the 
queen  a  scullion,  the  dignified  stations  of  king  and  queen 
are  necessarily  lowered  in  the  estimation  of  all.  Not 
only  so,  but  the  king  and  queen  will  also  lose  that  re-* 
spect  of  the  people  which  their  stations  demand. 

Now  let  us  apply  this  illustration   to  the  ministry. 
Let  the  minister  descend  from  the  high  station  where 
God  has  plaeed  him,  and  let  him  engage  in  the  politi- 
cal discussions  or  the  speculations  of  the  day,  and 
4* 


4($  Church  Debts. 

what  will  be  the  result?  Evidently  this  :  he  will  be 
put  on  a  level  with  other  politicians  and  speculators, 
and  whatever  motives  may  urge  them  forward,  they 
will  attribute  similar  motives  to  him.  The  man  sinks 
from  the  dignity  of  an  ambassador  for  Christ  to  the 
standing  of  a  mere  wordy  politician.  And  if  his  poli- 
tical sentiments  should  not  agree  with  those  with  whom 
he  may  converse,  or  if  he  should  mistake  in  judgment 
in  political  matters,  he  will  lose  the  credit  he  ought  to 
have  in  matters  purely  religious.  They  reason  thus  : 
If  this  minister  is  so  illy  qualified  (in  their  estimation) 
to  manage  in  these  worldly  affairs,  he  can  scarcely  be 
wise  in  spirituals.  The  man  and  the  office  both  sink 
in  the  estimation  of  these  men,  and  of  others. 

So  it  is  with  any  other  work  that  the  ministers  of 
Christ  may  engage  in,  that  does  not  properly  belong  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  Let  them,  for  the  time  being, 
lav  aside  the  w7ork  of  the  ministry  to  collect  funds, 
either  to  foster  the  pride  of  the  people  in  building  a 
more  costly  church  than  is  necessary,  or  to  pay  for 
one  that  the  congregation,  in  their  imprudence,  have 
erected  without  the  means  of  paying  for  it,  and  the  ef- 
fect will  be  the  same  ;  it  degrades  the  office.  The 
minister  is  turned  aside  from  his  work,  and  his  time 
is  wasted  in  matters  which,  in  the  nature  of  the  case, 
must  be  to  him  exceedingly  perplexing  and  vexing. 
Take  the  following  facts  for  the  sake  of  illustration  : — 
A  sermon  was  preached  (no  matter  now  when  or  where) 
in  behalf  of  the  American  Board  of  Missions,  a  cause 
which  should  be  dear  to  every  Christian's  heart.  After 
the  sermon,  subscriptions  were  made  on  cards.  It  was 
made  my  duty  to  collect  these.  I  called  on  Mr.  Blank, 
and  presented  him  his  card  for  $5.  He  took  it,  and 
after  looking  at  it,  said  with  a  surly  tone,  "  Well,  I 
suppose  I  must  pay  il  ;  that's  the  way  they're  always 
begging  at  our  church,  and  they're  sure  to  catch  me." 
He  handed  me  very  coolly  the  pledged  $5.  I  thanked 
him  for  Christ's  sake,  not  his.  and  came  away.  I  had 
a  bow  from  him,  but  1  was  not  told  that  I  was  welcome. 
Immediately  after  leaving  the  counting-house,  a  young 


Modern  Requisites  in  a  Minister*  47 

man  ran  after  me,  and  gave  me  $10  for  the  same  cause. 
He  said  he  was  not  at  church  yesterday,  when  the 
cause  was  presented,  but  had  heard  of  it;  and  lie  beg- 
ged I  would  accept  of  the  sum  offered  to  aid  the 
cause,  and  regretted  that  he  had  not  more  to  give. 
What  a  difference  in  the  spirit  of  these  men  ! 

On  a  certain  occasion  I  called  upon  a  man  who  is 
independently  rich,  and  asked  him  for  a  donation  to  a 
church,  after  having  stated  the  case  to  him.  He  treated 
me  very  politely,  but  the  cause  was  dismissed  without 
a  dollar. 

After  three  unsuccessful  attempts,  I  saw  a  wealthy 
man,  a  communicant  in  the  church,  and  stated  the 
same  case  to  him;  and  after  all  my  efforts  to  convince 
him  of  the  goodness  of  the  cause — the  pressing  need  in 
the  case — I  received,  as  in  the  first  case,  nothing.  In 
cases  like  this,  the  minister  of  Christ  is  placed  at  the 
feet  of  the  members  gf  the  church,  and  of  others,  to 
beg  of  them  to  do  for  God  and  his  cause  what  their 
consciences  cannot  make  them  do.  Such  persons 
(and  their  name  is  legion)  feel  at  perfect  liberty  to  re- 
ject the  counsel,  and  advice,  and  wishes  of  those  whom 
they  acknowledge  as  Christ's  ministers,  especially  when 
they  come  on  errands  of  this  nature.  Having  treated 
them  once  in  that  manner,  it  is  easy  to  do  it  again. 
Even  if  the  next  time  they  see  these  ministers  they 
should  be  in  the  pulpit. 

In  making  special  efforts  to  collect  funds  to  pay  off 
the  debt  of  a  church,  some  may  and  do  receive  you 
pleasantly ;  but  is  it  so  with  all  ?  Why  do  the 
churches  throw  this  burden  on  their  ministers.  Is  it 
because  of  the  unpleasantness  of  the  work?  Is  it  be- 
cause it  is  too  small  a  matter  for  them  to  attend  to, 
and  it  is,  therefore,  very  fit  work  for  the  ministers  of 
Christ?  Is  it  because  they  look  upon  the  work  of  the 
ministry  as  essentially  including  the  work  of  begging 
for  money  ?  Whatever  may  be  the  motive,  one  thing 
is  certain — the  thing  is  a  sin  against  God  and  his 
church.  I  know  that  there  are  many  ministers  whose 
presence  in  the  pulpit  is  exceedingly  unpleasant  to  many 


48  Church  Debts. 

of  the  congregation.  These  go  away,  and  others,  who, 
for  politeness'  sake,  will  stay,  often  make  the  remark, 
41  Well,  we  must  bear  another  begging  sermon  to-day." 
And  so  they  do;  but  they  learn  to  associate,  ever  after, 
the  feelings  they  have  on  those  occasions  with  those 
ministers  of  Christ,  so  that  they  are  seldom  benefited 
by  their  ministry. 

"  We  never  can  succeed  in  our  church,"  said  cer- 
tain elders  to  a  minister,  who  inquired  after  their  spi- 
ritual prosperity,  "  we  never  can  succeed,  until  we  get 
a  more  popular  minister.  The  people  (that  is,  those 
who  have  wealth  to  pay  church  debts)  will  not  come 
in."  What  is  the  thing  aimed  at  by  such  persons? 
Not  the  salvation  of  souls,  as  the  grand  work  for 
which  they  should  labor,  but  the  payment  of  church 
debts.  The  feeling  is  very  much  as  it  was  in  the  time 
of  David,  when,  we  are  told,  that 

"  A  man  was  famous  and  was  had 
In  estimation, 
According  as  he  lifted  up 
His  axe  thick  trees  upon.'" 

A  man,  then,  who  can  bring  down  a  heavy  hand 
upon  these  forest  trees  in  the  church,  and  cause  the 
silver  and  the  gold  to  fly  from  their  coffers,  as  chips 
under  the  axe  of  the  woodman,  will  be  had  "in  esti- 
mation." Knowledge  of  the  word  of  God — skill 
in  dividing  it — fidelity  in  warning  men  to  escape  from 
the  wrath  to  come— diligence  in  visitinsr  from  house  to 
house — success  in  gathering  in  those  whom  "God  hath 
chosen,"  viz.,  the  weak,  and  the  base  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty,  (1 
Cor.  i.  27,)  and  also  faithfulness  in  directing  the  inquir- 
ing sinner  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  or  in  smoothing  the 
pillow  of  the  dying  Christian  in  his  passage  to  glory — 
are  all  as  nought,  if  the  minister  possess  not  the  one 
essential  requisite,  the  ability  to  collect  funds  for 
church  debts  or  church  purposes.  Such  a  degrade 
ing  view  of  the  work  of  the  ministry,  I  will  venture  to 
affirm,  would  never  have  found  its  way  into  the  minds 


They  separate  Ministers  and  Churches.  49 

of  any  of  our  church  members  if  it  had  not  been  for 
church  debts.  With  such  views  of  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  how  can  such  persons  have  that  respect  for 
the  ministers  of  Christ,  their  office,  and  work,  which 
they  should  possess?  It  is  impossible.  Can  they  pro- 
fit under  the  ministry  of  the  word  with  such  feelings? 
It  cannot  be.  A  system  of  things,  then,  still  continued 
in  the  church,  which  tends  to  such  sad  consequences, 
is  a  curse  of  no  ordinary  magnitude.  Shall  it  be  re- 
moved ?  Or  shall  it  continue  to  blast  the  church  for 
generations  to  come? 

In  my  next  letter,  I  shall  turn  your  thoughts  to  the 
effects  of  church  debts  in  unsettling  ministers. 

I  remain,  as  ever,  yours  in  the  warfare  against 
church  debts.  W.  II. 


LETTER  X. 

Lv  the  present  letter,  I  wish  to  turn  your  attention 
to  another  enormous  evil  of  church  debts,  viz.:  the 
influence  it  has  in  separating  ministers  from  their  con- 
gregations. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  installation  of  a  minis- 
ter over  a  people  meant  something.  The  subject  in- 
terested not  only  the  minister  himself,  and  the  congre- 
gation of  which  he  was  to  become  the  pastor,  but  the 
churches  generally  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  matter. 
The  relationship  was  something  like  the  marriage 
bond — for  life.  It  was  not  to  be  dissolved  by  every 
breeze  of  dissatisfaction  that  might  spring  up  in  any 
breast.  It  was  a  sacred  tie.  The  people  felt  that  the 
minister  was  theirs.  He  was  the  "  star"  that  the  Head 
of  the  Church  had  placed  in  the  midst  of  that  congre- 
gation. And  the  minister  felt  that  unto  them  he  was 
to  break  the  brend  of  life,  and  that  his  duty  was  to 
.edify  the  flock  of  Christ,  and  to  train  them  up  for  hea- 
ven.    His  counsels  were  heeded.     The  parents  paid 


&0  Church  Debts. 

him  reverence,  and  the  children  learned  to  respect 
and  love  him.  He  was  the  head  of  the  spiritual  flock, 
and  among  them  could  he  number  many  of  his  spiri- 
tual children.  While  he  labored  for  their  spiritual 
good,  they  were  not  unmindful  of  his  temporal  wants. 
They  had  promised  him,  not  only  "  a  competent  world- 
ly maintenance,"  but  also  to  give  him  "  whatever  else 
they  might  see  needful  for  the  honor  of  religion,  and 
his  comfort  among  them."  The  first  they  paid  him 
punctually;  and  as  to  the  "  whatever  else" — his  libra- 
ry, his  table,  and  the  wardrobe  of  the  family,  bore 
ample  testimony  that  their  eyes  were  open  to  see  what 
was  for  the  honor  of  religion,  and  for  his  comfort 
among  them.  These  things  tended  greatly  to  unite 
the  hearts  of  the  pastor  and  his  flock  together,  so  that 
they  felt  that  they  were  indeed  as  one  family,  and  that 
their  interest  and  object  were  one.  A  dissolution  of 
the  pastoral  relationship  between  such  a  pastor  and 
his  flock  was  witnessed  only  when  the  Great  Head  of 
the  Church  laid  him  aside  from  his  labors  here,  or 
called  him  to  his  reward  on  high. 

Now,  if  you  will  look  into  the  secret  of  these  long 
and  tender  unions,  you  will  find,  if  I  mistake  not,  that 
they  are  intimately  connected  with  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  church.  The  house  in  which  they  worshipped 
their  God,  and  the  God  of  their  fathers,  was  the  Lord's 
house,  and  not  man's.  There  was  no  debt  upon  it; 
or,  if  there  was,  it  was  becoming  less  and  less  every 
year,  under  the  influence  of  a  feeling  that  was  deter- 
mined, in  all  things,  to  act  honestly.  The  people  were 
honest  towards  God,  and  hence  they  were  honest  to- 
wards his  servant.  It  was  only  when  the  ancient 
Jews  refused  to  bring  their  promised  tithes  into  the 
storehouse  of  the  Lord,  that  their  priests  were  com- 
pelled to  abandon  the  service  of  the  temple,  and  flee 
to  the  fields  for  a  support.  And  it  is  owing  to  the 
same  cause,  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases,  that  minis- 
ters are  now  compelled  to  abandon  fields  of  labors, 
where  much  fruit  might  be  gathered.  If  a  people  are 
not  honest  towards  God,  they  cannot  be  towards  the 


A  Dialogue  in  Point,  51 

shepherd  God  has  placed  over  them.  If  they  have 
not  religion  enough  to  erect  such  a  house  as  their  ne- 
cessities require,  and  their  means  can  pay  for,  they 
would  not  be  content  with  Paul  or  Apollos  as  their 
pastor. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  trace  out  the  origin  of  that 
disaffection,  or  whatever  else  it  may  be,  that  ends  in  the 
dismissal  of  a  pastor  from  his  flock.  As  a  general  thing, 
he  would  not  leave  them,  if  his  situation  was  rendered 
comfortable  among  them.  But,  by  degrees,  he  finds 
his  position  becoming  more  and  more  unpleasant.  His 
temporal  affairs  are  embarrassed.  Promises  on  which 
he  relied  have  not  been  fulfilled.  His  mind  is  harassed 
in  consequence  of  it.  His  studies  are  interrupted.  He 
cannot  bring  a  mind  "free  from  worldly  cares  and 
avocations"  to  investigate  the  word  of  God,  so  as  to 
feed  his  flock  on  the  Sabbath,  and  to  give  to  saint  and 
to  sinner  a  portion  in  due  season.  The  effect  is  mani- 
fest. The  people  see  it;  nor  are  they  slow  to  speak 
of  it. 

"Do  you  think  our  minister  was  as  interesting  to- 
day as  usual?'  said  Mr.  A.  to  his  brother  B.,  as  they 
were  returning  from  church  one  fine  Sabbath  day, 
after  hearing  a  sermon  on  the  words,  "  Faith  without 
works  is  dead."  "  I  'thought  not,"  said  Mr.  B.,  "  but 
I  did  not  like  to  say  so."  "  But  I  will,"  says  Mrs.  C., 
who  was  in  company  with  them  ;  "  I  could  preach  as 
good  a  sermon  as  that  myself,  and  I  don't  profess  to 
be  a  minister."  Encouraged  by  the  example  of 
others,  Miss  D.,  one  of  the  pert  beauties  of  the  con- 
gregation, gave  her  head  one  of  those  significant 
tosses  for  which  she  is  noted,  and  observed,  "  The 
sermon  was  so  dull  and  prosing,  that  (I'm  ashamed  to 
say  it)  I  really  fell  asleep."  The  little  children  said 
they  could  not  understand  the  sermon,  and  so  they 
spent  their  time  in  throwing  paper  balls  at  one  an- 
other. Ere  long  they  caught  up  with  elders  E.  and 
F.,  who  were  walking  soberly  along,  and  talking  about 
the  state  of  things  in  the  church.  And  after  some 
conversation,  Mr.  A.  ventured  to  say  something  about 


52  Church  Debts. 

the  sermon.  The  minister  was  dull — there  was  in  the 
sermon  nothing  new  said,  and  nothing  old  well  said — 
such  preaching  would  not  build  up  a  church,  &c. 
"  Well,  friend  A.,  I  suppose  that  there  is  some  truth 
in  what  you  say.  But  you  know  our  minister  can 
preach  well." 

"  I  believe  he  can  ;  but  I  don't  think  that  he  preaches 
even  as  well  as  he  used  to  do.  There  must  be  some 
reason  for  it,  I  suppose." 

"  There  certainly  is  ;  and  elder  F.  and  I  have  been 
trying  to  find  out  the  cause  of  it,  and  we  think  we  have 
discovered  it  in  the  Old  Testament." 

"  Well,  truly,  elder  E.,  you  have  gone  far  enough 
back  for  the  cause,"  said  Mr.  A.,  laughing  at  the 
thought.  "  But  what  do  you  mean  ?  You  must  ex- 
plain yourself." 

"  I  will  do  so.  Elder  F.  and  I  both  think  that  our 
pastor  has  been  treated  something  like  the  Israelites 
were  treated  by  Pharaoh  and  his  task-masters." 

"  I  hope  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  am  opposed 
to  our  pastor!  I  am  always  at  church  when  my  en- 
gagements will  permit  me  to  attend.  I  do  not  under- 
stand you." 

"  Have  patience,  and  you  will.  You  remember  that 
when  Pharaoh  disobeyed  the  voice  of  the  Lord  by 
Moses,  and  refused  to  let  Israel  go  free,  that  he  began 
to  oppress  the  people  more  and  more.  He  told  his 
task-masters  not  to  give  the  people  straw  to  make 
brick,  but  to  let  them  go  and  gather  straw  for  them- 
selves. He  required  them  to  make  as  many  bricks 
daily  as  they  had  done  before,  when  the  straw  was 
furnished  to  their  hand.  '  So  the  people  were  scat- 
tered abroad  throughout  the  land  of  Egypt,  to  gather 
stubble  instead  of  straw.'  The  task-masters  urged 
them  on,  saying,  'fulfil  your  daily  tasks.'  The  people 
could  not  do  it.  The  task-masters  were  beaten.  The 
officers  of  Pharaoh  tried  to  reason  the  case  with  him, 
and  reminded  him  of  the  fact  that  the  people  had  no 
straw.  Still  he  would  not  diminish  any  of  the  task, 
but  demanded  the  same  as  before.     The  people  then 


A  Dialogue  in  Point. 

saw  it  was  an  *  evil  case*  with  them.     And  th 
in  their  deep  distress,  till  God  appeared  for  t\ 
live  ranee." 

"  That  is  all  very  true,  elder  E. ;  but  what  hi  ..us 
to  do  with  our  minister's  sermon  this  morning?' 

"You  will  hear,  only  attend.  You  remember  what 
an  excellent  man  our  former  minister  was,  and  how 
useful  he  is  now  in  his  new  congregation.  You  know 
we  all  loved  him,  and  how  mortified  we  were  when 
he  mentioned  to  the  Presbytery,  that  the  only  reason 
for  his  leaving  us  was  a  want  of  support." 

"  I  know  it ;  but  we  could  not  help  that.  You  know 
that  the  debt  upon  our  church  was  about  $12,000,  and 
the  interest  (which  must  be  paid,  whoever  may  want) 
was  about  $720,  so  that  we  were  not  able  to  give  him 
a  proper  support.  Indeed,  when  I  think  of  it  now,  I 
wonder  how  he  could  stay  as  long  with  us  as  he  did." 

"It  is  true,  our  debt  was  very  large  for  us  then, 
and  though  it  is  reduced  a  little,  still  it  is  too  burden- 
some for  us  to  bear  it  very  long.  But  I  have  thought, 
if  the  people  had  done  what  they  could,  we  might  have 
kept  him.  There  are  a  number  of  the  members  of  the 
church  who  gave  nothing  to  his  support.  There  are 
Miss  Love-self,  and  Miss  Small-waist,  and  her  cousin, 
Miss  Follow-fashion,  and  a  number  of  young  men, 
who  gave  nothing  at  all.  And  there  are  Mr.  Starch, 
Mr.  Prim,  and  Mr.  Lady-man,  who  only  subscribed  a 
dollar  or  two,  and  they  did  not  pay  all  of  that.  And 
there  are  others  who  acted  in  the  same  way.  I  am 
afraid  we  are  pursuing  the  same  course  towards  our 
present  pastor,  and  the  Lord  will  remove  him  from  us 
as  He  has  done  our  former  one.  I  think,  Mr.  A.,  there 
are  a  good  many  in  the  church  like  yourself,  (for  the 
truth  had  better  come  out  at  once;)  who  find  fault 
with  the  minister  because  he  don't  make  as  good  brick 
as  usual,  and  yet  you  don't  give  him  the  straw  that  he 
needs.  You  make  him  run  about  to  gather  stubble,  and 
then  blame  him  because  he  has  not  made  as  many 
brick  as  formerly,  and  because  he  uses  stubble  in  them 
instead  of  straw.  And  now,  Mr.  A.,  let  me  ask  you, 
5 


64  Church  Debts. 

are  you  not  a  year  in  arrears  with  your  pew-rent  T 
You  have  had  fine  crops,  and  your  orchards  are  load- 
ed with  fruit.  Have  you  thought  of  your  minister's 
wants  in  the  midst  of  your  abundance  1  x\nd,  Mr.  B., 
you  have  succeeded  in  your  business  this  year  very 
well;  and  don't  you  think  that  you  might  have  added 
to  his  comfort  considerably,  by  some  tokens  of  your 
favor,  without  diminishing  your  own  comforts  in  the 
least  degree  V 

"  Wei!-,  I  suppose  I  might,  but  I  never  thought  of 

"  That  is  very  probable  ;  but,  you  may  rely  upon  it, 
the  poor  Israelite  thought  of  the  straw,  when  he  had 
to  gather  the  stubble,  and  to  make  the  brick." 

"  I  wish  we  were  out  of  debt,  and  then  we  could 
support  our  pastor  very  easily.  But  it  is  very  discour- 
aging, especially  when  the  burden  falls  upon  a  few." 

"  That  is  true,  brother  B.  ;  and  now  if  you  will  do 
what  you  can,  and  won't  expect  our  pastor  to  preach 
labored  discourses,  without  giving  him  the  time  and 
the  means  to  prepare  them — if  you  wilt  be  punctual 
in  your  attendance  on  the  means  of  grace,  and  prompt 
in  the  payment  of  all  dues  to  the  church,  and  will  unite 
with  us  in  prayer  and  effort  to  sustain  the  church,  and 
to  pay  off  this  debt,  I  think  we  can  succeed  in  keeping 
our  minister,  and  the  church,  too,  from  being  sold  by 
the  auctioneer." 

Here  the  company  had  to  separate,  and  the  conver- 
sation stopped. 

Now,  in  thinking  on  this  conversation,  and  the  situ- 
ation of  ministers  in  former  days,  I  have  been  led  to 
think,  that  one  grand  reason  why  the  pastor  and  the 
people  loved  each  other  so  much,  was  the  fact,  that 
there  was  no  church  debt  to  be  a  source  of  dissatis- 
faction. The  people  called  the  minister  to  preach 
Christ  to  them.  The  minister  came  to  do  so,  and  in 
that  work  he  was  sustained.  But  now,  a  minister  fs 
called  for  many  reasons  besides  preaching  the  gospel. 
He  is  called  to  fill  a  house  greatly  in  debt.  Few  men 
can  do  that.     He  is  called  "  to  shake  a  city."     He  is 


A  Plan  Proposed.  55 

called  to  keep  up  the  dignity  of  the  congregation.  He 
is  called  to  harmonize  a  people  who  have  quarrelled 
about  a  church  debt.  He  is  called  to  do  his  own  work, 
and  the  work  of  the  people;  and  the  Presbytery  put 
him  there  to  do  it !  As  he  cant't  do  it,  the  Presbytery 
are  called  together  again  to  put  him  out  of  his  office, 
and  to  break  a  bond  which  they  ratified  by  solemn 
acts  and  by  prayer.  In  looking  at  the  causes  of  this 
growing  evil,  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  no  small 
amount  of  the  sin  lies  on  the  shoulders  of  ministers, 
and  hence  it  is  that  God  chastens  them  in  the  thing  in 
which  they  have  sinned.  Have  they  not  encouraged 
people  to  build  a  fine  church,  when  they  knew  that 
they  could  not  pay  for  it?  Have  not  some  been  gra- 
tified in  being  pastors  of  fine  new  churches,  in  debt? 
Have  they  not  installed  their  brethren  as  pastors  over 
churches  which  were  in  debt,  and  under  the  curse,  and 
when  they  had  abundant  reason  to  believe  that  they 
could  not  succeed  ?  Have  they  not  dismissed  pastors 
because  of  the  debt  of  the  churches?  and  have  they 
not,  in  the  face  of  this  fact,  and  perhaps  at  the  same 
meeting,  made  preparations  to  throw  another  brother 
into  the  same  furnace?  Has  not  the  fear  which  min- 
isters have  had,  to  openly  and  sternly  rebuke  the  pride 
of  the  people,  tended  to  increase  the  evil  under  which 
they  groan?  T  believe  it.  And  until  ministers  will 
refuse  to  be  settled  over  churches  in  debt,  or  to  place 
their  brethren  over  them,  the  evil  will  continue.  Let 
the  Presbyteries  take  this  stand,  and  God  will  bless 
them.  Let  the  oldest  and  greatest  sinners  in  our  midst 
repent  first,  and  let  others  follow.  Let  the  Presbytery 
of  Philadelphia  (the  mother  of  us  all)  repent  of  their 
sin,  and  pay  off  honorably  the  debt  of  their  churches, 
{for  they  have  the  ability  to  do  both,)  and  let  others, 
younger  in  age,  but  equal  in  crime  in  this  respect, 
follow  her  example ;  and  the  solemn  mockery  of 
installing  ministers  only  to  dismiss  them  again,  and 
the  perpetual  lamentation  of  barren  ordinances  will  be 
heard  of  in  our  midst  no  more  forever.  The  work  of 
reform  will  go  through  the  land,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 


56  Church  Debts. 

will  descend  and  rest  upon  the  churches.     Who  will 
lead  the  way  ? 

Yours,  sincerely,  in  the  warfare    against  church 
debts.  W.  R. 


LETTER  XL 


There  is  one  thought  more  which  I  wish  to  present, 
before  I  speak  of  the  remedy  for  the  evil,  viz.: 

The  blighting  influence  which  church  debts  have  upon 
the  cause  of  missions. 

When  we  take  up  the  New  Testament,  and  inquire 
into  the  nature  of  this  dispensation,  we  find  it  stated 
by  the  Apostle  in  the  following  language : — "  God  at 
the  first  did  visit  the  Gentiles,  to  take  out  of  them  a 
people  for  His  name."  The  object,  then,  is  to  gather 
out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  na- 
tion, a  church  for  the  Redeemer.  The  instrumentality 
to  be  used  in  this  work  is  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 
Hence,  the  command  of  the  Saviour  is,  "  Go,  ye,  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 
This  is  the  imperious  duty  of  the  church.  Nothing 
should  be  allowed  to  hinder  her  in  performing  it.  The 
apostles  felt  that  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  the 
work  to  which  they  were  called,  and  therefore  they 
allowed  nothing  to  hinder  them  in  the  performance  of 
their  duty.  The  church  also  felt  that  they  were  to  be 
coworkers  with  them  in  gathering  in  the  elect  church  ; 
and  hence  it  is,  that  when  they  were  scattered  abroad 
by  persecution,  "they  went  everywhere  preaching  the 
word." 

As  this  was  the  grand  object  of  their  organization 
as  a  church,  they  kept  it  constantly  in  view.  Their 
labors  ceased  only  with  their  lives.  Their  money, 
time,  talents,  influence,  and  lives  were  devoted  to  the 
work  of  the  Lord.     They  lived  for  God,  and  not  for 


Influence  on  Missions.  57 

themselves.  And  having  once  felt  that  their  lives 
were  the  Lord's,  their  money  became  valuable,  only 
as  it  aided  them  to  carry  forward  the  great  commis- 
sion of  their  Saviour.  They  never  lost  sight  of  the 
fact,  that  the  full  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Redeemer  was  the  end  to  be  kept  in  view,  and  that 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  u  in  all  the  world,  for  a 
witness  unto  all  nations,"  was  essentially  necessary  to 
the  accomplishing  of  that  end.  Hence  they  labored 
and  prayed  for  the  time  to  come  when  the  world 
should  be  blessed  with  universal  peace,  and  when 
"  the  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the 
people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High." 

With  such  views,  self  was  a  little  matter  in  their 
eyes.  They  kept  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  return  of 
their  Lord,  and  as  that  could  not  take  place  till  the 
gospel  should  be  preached  unto  all  nations,  we  see  at 
once  the  secret  of  their  unremitting  zeal  in  preaching 
the  gospel.  No  wonder,  then,  that  the  gospel  was  car- 
ried as  far  as  the  Pillar  of  Hercules  on  the  west,  and 
to  the  Ganges  on  the  east,  before  the  last  apostle  was 
dead.  And  if  the  same  spirit  which  animated  the 
apostles  had  continued  for  one  hundred  years  longer, 
the  Man  of  Sin  had  never  risen  up  to  curse  the  church 
and  the  world.  To  build  large  and  costly  churches, 
and  go  in  debt  for  them,  and  then  compel  themselves 
to  pay  an  annual  tax  in  the  shape  of  interest  money — 
thereby  starving  their  pastors,  crippling  their  exer- 
tions, or  preventing  them  from  sending  forth  mission- 
aries to  preach  the  gospel,  taking  nothing  of  the  Gen- 
tiles— was  a  course  of  conduct  which  never  entered 
their  minds.  It  would  have  been  the  consummation 
of  folly  in  their  eyes,  as  it  should  be  in  ours.  It  would 
have  been  a  complete  demonstration  of  their  lack  of 
practical  wisdom,  consistency,  and  of  a  proper  sense 
of  religious  duty. 

Let  us  look  at  this  for  a  moment.  The  apostles 
professed  their  faith  in  the  speedy  return  of  their  Lord. 
They  were  looking  for  that  event.  They  declared  that 

a* 


58  Church  Debts. 

the  preaching  of  the  gospel  unto  all  nations  was  an 
essential  prerequisite  to  that  event.  Now,  if  in  the  face 
of  these  confessions,  instead  of  using  their  money  for 
the  purpose  of  sending  the  living  preacher  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  they  had  used  it  to  gratify  their  pride  in 
building  palaces  for  themselves,  or  in  erecting  costly 
churches,  and  in  paying  the  interest  of  the  debts  re- 
maining upon  them,  it  would  have  manifested  such  a 
total  want  of  consistent  conduct,  as  to  prove  that  their 
faith  in  this  matter  stood  not  in  deeds,  but  in  words. 
But  they  did  not  act  so.  They  manifested  their  faith 
by  their  works.  After  the  apostles  were  dead,  a  new 
generation  sprang  up,  who  had  not  the  spirit  of  their 
fathers.  These  began  to  feel  that  their  own  comfort 
and  ease  were  \he  first  things  to  be  attended  to,  and 
that  the  command  of  the  Lord  was  a  secondary  mat- 
ter. Their  own  wants,  comforts,  luxuries,  and  pride 
made  such  heavy  drafts  upon  their  purses,  that  there 
was  but  little  left  to  send  the  gospel  abroad,  and  thus 
obey  the  command  of  their  ascended  Lord.  Well, 
what  has  been  the  result  of  this  sad  experiment?  Let 
the  dark  ages  and  the  reign  of  Popery  give  the  answer. 
A  Reformation  took  place.  But  where  now  is  the  spi- 
rit of  the  reformers?  It  is  found  on  the  page  of  his- 
tory, but  not  in  the  heart  of  the  church. 

But  is  the  duty  of  sending  the  gospel  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth  less  binding  upon  us  now  than  upon  the  apos- 
tles, or  upon  the  reformers?  Certainly  not.  The  great 
work  of  the  church  is  to  preach  Christ,  and  him  cruci- 
fied, to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  She  has  all  the  means, 
so  far  as  wealth  is  concerned,  to  accomplish  that  ob- 
ject. But  how  does  the  church,  as  such,  feel  upon  this 
subject?  If  we  are  lo  judge  from  the  facts  in  the  case, 
we  must  come  to  the  conclusion,  that,  whatever  the 
church  has  to  do,  her  work  is  not  to  hasten  the  coming 
of  her  Lord,  by  first  carrying  the  gospel  to  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  If  she  felt  as  she  ought,  she  could  not 
act  as  she  does.  The  church  pays  more  to  gratify 
her  pride,  and  for  things  absolutely  injurious  to  her 
spiritual  growth,  than  she  does  to  send  the  gospel  to 


How  Lhey  hinder  Missions.  59 

the  heathen.  You  may  take  the  churches  of  this  city 
for  a  specimen,  if  you  choose,  and  what  is  the  result  I 
One  church,  you  will  find,  has 

A  debt  of  $22,000,  and  pays  $1,320  interest. 
Another,      20,000,         **            1,200         " 
Another,       17,0U0,         "            1,020         " 
Another,       11,000,         "              660         " 
Another,       10,000,         "              600         " 


$80,000  $4,800 

Now,  here  are  five  churches,  with  a  debt  of  $80,000 
resting  upon  them,  and  which  pay  an  annual  interest 
of  $4,800  ! !  If  you  had  the  debts  of  all  the  churches 
in  this  city  presented  to  your  view  at  a  glance,  it 
would  fill  you  with  utter  astonishment.  But  let  this 
suffice  for  the  present.  Now,  what  a  handsome  sum 
is  here  from  five  churches,  that  ought  to  flow  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord,  to  prepare  the  world  for  the  full 
establishment  of  His  kingdom. 

And  if  you  will  add  this  to  the  sum  they  now  actu- 
ally give  while  under  such  a  heavy  curse,  and  then 
add  to  it  the  additional  sum  they  might  give  if  the 
curse  were  removed,  you  can  readily  perceive  how 
large  an  amount  of  the  Lord's  money  is  kept  back 
from  accomplishing  the  work  he  designs  by  it.  And 
you  can  see  how  easily  the  church  could  more  than 
double,  yea,  quadruple,  her  contributions  every  year, 
and  how  rapidly  she  might  hasten  on  the  glory  of  the 
latter  day.  And  why  all  this  debt?  I  answer,  it  is 
the  legitimate  fruit  of  pride  and  covetousness.  There 
is  no  manner  of  use  for  its  existence.  The  thing  is  a 
sin  against  God.  It  shows  that  the  church  of  the  Sa- 
viour has  lost  the  spirit  of  her  Lord,  and  of  his  holy 
apostles.  Jesus  and  his  disciples  never  could  have 
acted  as  the  church  now  acts.  And  no  church  now 
can  go  in  debt  that  possesses  the  true  spirit  of  her  Lord. 
Yea,  more,  the  church  that  sits  still  under  the  curse  of 
a  church  debt — that  has  not  repented  of  her  sin — and 
is  not  now  exerting  herself  to  throw  off  this  body  of 
sin  and  death,  does  not  possess  the  true  apostolic  spirit. 


60  Church  Jjebts. 

We  talk  of  revivals,  and  pray  for  them  while  under 
the  curse  of  church  debts.  But  what  ground  have  we 
to  hope  for  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  while  we 
withhold  from  God  and  his  cause  his  rightful  due? 
And  if  God  does  grant  some  few  drops  of  mercy,  what 
are  the  converts  good  for?  They  may  be  saved,  but 
they  are  of  necessity  a  puny  race.  The  stream  can 
not  rise  higher  than  the  fountain.  And  converts  brought 
into  the  churches  that  are  thus  under  the  displeasure  of 
God,  will  soon  sink  down  to  the  same  level  of  those 
who  surround  them. 

There  is  one  fact,  in  connection  with  this  subject, 
that  must  strike  every  observer;  it  is,  the  double  influ- 
ence of  the  curse  of  church  debts  upon  the  cause  of 
foreign  missions.  And,  1st.  It  robs  the  heathen  of  all 
that  money  which  is  taken  to  build  more  costly 
churches  than  is  needful,  and  also  of  the  sum  that  is 
annually  expended  for  the  payment  of  interest.  And, 
2d.  It  forms  a  stereotyped  excuse  for  not  giving  to 
send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  and  to  aid  the  cause 
of  Christ  at  home.  When  the  call  comes  loud  from 
the  distressed,  and  from  those  who  have  no  light,  but 
are  perishing  for  lack  of  vision,  the  churches  say : 
"  We  are  sorry  we  cannot  help  you  ;  but  we  have  a 
large  debt  upon  us,  and  it  is  just  as  much  as  we  can 
do  to  bear  up  under  that."  And  hence  the  cause  is 
dismissed.  But,  it  is  a  mere  excuse,  for  they  neither 
give  as  they  ought,  nor  do  they  try  to  pay  off  the  debt 
of  the  church.  The  effect  upon  the  churches  them- 
selves is  most  sad.  How  often  are  they  compelled  to 
part  with  a  minister  who  is  doing  good  in  their  midst, 
because  of  their  debt !  Such  conduct  is  about  as  com- 
mon sense-like  as  the  conduct  of  some  young  people, 
who  have  just  got  married,  and  who  wish  to  make  a 
show  in  the  world  before  they  are  able  to  do  it.  They 
spend  so  much  in  fine  clothes  and  in  fine  furniture,  that 
they  have  nothing  left.  They  have  bought  the  dishes 
for  the  table,  but  there  is  nothing  to  put  in  them. 

But  one  thought  more  before  I  conclude.     My  firm 
belief  is,  that  church  debts  is  one  of  the  deep-laid 


How  tkey  hinder  Missions,  61 

schemes  of  Satan  to  hinder  the  progress  of  the  gospel, 
and  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  I  will  ex- 
plain my  views  on  this  point.  Satan  has  had  the 
usurped  possession  of  this  world  for  nearly  six  thou- 
sand years.  He  knows  that  his  time  is  short,  and  that 
ere  long  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  must  become  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ.  He  also  knows 
that  the  gospel  must  be  preached  in  all  the  world,  for 
a  witness  unto  all  nations,  before  that  event  can  take 
place.  If,  then,  he  can  prevent  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  among  all  nations,  and  the  fulfilment  of  this 
part  of  the  church's  duty,  he  still  will  hold  the  sway 
over  the  earth.  Hence  it  is,  that  in  Christian  lands, 
he  is  endeavoring  to  keep  the  Bible  from  the  youth, 
so  that  they  may  be  educated  without  the  princi- 
ples of  the  gospel.  This  he  is  accomplishing  through 
the  aid  of  the  Papal  power.  And  as  to  heathen  lands, 
he  is  keeping  them  from  being  blessed  by  the  light  of 
the  gospel,  by  diverting  the  Lord's  money  from  the 
missionary  work  to  the  building  of  splendid  and  costly 
churches  at  home — paying  interest  on  church  debts — 
building  palaces  for  ourselves— dressing  extravagantly 
— and  in  every  variety  of  way  that  he  can  to  keep  the 
gospel  from  the  heathen.  Thus  it  is  that  Satan  is  us- 
ing the  church  and  the  men  of  the  world  (they  being 
unconscious  of  the  fact)  to  aid  him  in  keeping  the  pos- 
session of  the  earth.  Oh !  when  will  the  people  of 
God  awake  to  a  sense  of  their  duty  in  this  matter?  I 
am  aware  that  this  thought  will  strike  a  certain  class 
of  readers  as  a  mere  speculation.  But  I  know  also 
that  there  is  another  class,  who,  with  the  prophetic 
page  open  before  them,  will  see  and  understand  that 
this  is  the  truth.  Look  at  it.  The  church  of  the  Lord 
squander  away  more  of  the  Lord's  money  in  pride 
and  extravagance  on  their  church  establishments,than 
they  give  to  the  cause  of  missions;  yea,  more  than  is 
sufficient  to  evangelize  the  whole  world:  and  all  this 
for  the  glory  of  God  !  They  are  deceived  by  Satan. 
It  is  a  plan  of  the  adversary.  And  it  is  the  more  dif- 
ficult to  convince  the  church  of  her  error  and  sin  in 


62  Church  Debts. 

this  particular,  because  she  believes  that  she  is,  in  the 
course  she  is  pursuing,  doing  God's  service.  Strange 
infatuation !  But  so  it  is.  May  the  Saviour  have 
mercy  on  his  church  I 

Yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church  debts. 

W.  R. 


LETTER  XII. 

A  minister,  who  resides  in  the  country,  met  me  in 
the  street,  a  short  time  ago,  and,  in  the  course  of  our 
conversation,  introduced  the  subject  of  church  debts. 
"  I  am  glad,"  said  he,  "  that  you  have  spoken  so  plain- 
ly on  this  subject.  Go  on.  The  churches  ought  to 
hear  the  truth  on  this  point.  But  it  will  do  them  no 
good.  They  will  not  do  their  duty.  Still,  they  ought 
to  hear  the  truth,  and  I  hope  you  will  continue  to  tell 
it  to  them.  Go  on  in  your  work."  I  thanked  him  for 
the  interest  he  took  in  my  effort  to  expose  the  sin  of 
the  church  in  this  matter,  and  also  for  the  cool  en- 
couragement he  gave  me  continue  my  efforts.  And 
as  he  gave  me  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand  in  parting, 
I  really  did  feel  encouraged  to  say  something  more, 
having  this  consolation,  at  least,  that  the  truth  must 
ultimately  prevail.  It  may  be  that  the  churches  have 
fallen  into  a  sleep  so  deep,  that  nothing  but  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  Man  can  wake  them  up.  Well,  if  we 
cannot  awaken  Christians  to  a  sense  of  their  duty,  per- 
haps we  may  aid  in  keeping  their  consciences  some- 
what uneasy. 

I  hope  that  the  prediction  of  this  good  brother  may 
not  be  realized.  But  if  many  of  the  members  of  our 
churches  possess  the  spirit  of  one  with  whom  I  lately 
conversed,  it  may  be  so.  He  remarked  that  "  the 
church  of  which  he  was  a  member,  was  in  debt 
810,000,  and  that  they  paid  annually  8600  interest. 
He  hoped  that  the  church  would  pay  off  82,000  of  this 
amount,  and  allow  the  balance  to  remain." 


Their  Remedy.  68 

But  why  not  pay  off  the  whole  amount?  You  are 
able  to  do  it?  "I  know  it,"  he  replied.  "  But  if  we 
should  pay  off  that  debt,  our  treasury  would  soon  be 
full,  and  we  should  not  know  what  to  do  with  the 
money.  The  first  thing,  then,  would  be  to  raise  the 
minister's  salary,  and  I  am  not  in  favor  of  giving 
ministers  so  much  money." 

Very  well,  if  your  minister  is  well  supported,  there 
are  many  others  who  are  laboring  faithfully  for  their 
Master,  and  have  to  contend  with  many  pecuniary 
difficulties.  You  might  aid  them,  or  you  might  sus- 
tain a  minister  entirely,  in  many  parts  of  our  country, 
upon  the  amount  you  pay  away  as  interest." 

"  I  know  that;  but  our  people  won't  do  it." 

What  do  you  think,  reader,  of  such  a  spirit  as  this? 
Is  it  really  so,  that  God's  people  are  more  willing  to 
pay  their  hundreds  and  their  thousands,  in  the  shape 
of  interest,  to  gratify  their  pride,  than  to  erect  plain 
and  suitable  churches,  and  pay  for  them,  and  sustain 
the  ministers  of  the  Lord,  who  are  laboring  for  the 
salvation  of  men?  Sad  times  are  these  on  which  we 
have  fallen ! 

After  what  has  been  said  on  the  subject,  I  will  now 
suggest 

A  Remedy  for  Church  Debts. 

1.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  is,  to  prevent  any  fur- 
ther increase  of  the  evil.  If  the  churches  which  are 
now  involved  in  debt  should  be  relieved,  and  if  nothing 
be  done  to  stop  this  iniquitous  system  of  building 
churches  without  paying  for  them,  we  shall  make  but 
slow  progress  in  this  work  of  reform.  It  certainly 
would  not  show  much  wisdom  in  the  friends  of  tem- 
perance, if  they  should  spend  all  their  energies  in  trying 
to  reform  drunkards,  without  aiming  to  prevent  another 
generation  of  them  from  rising  up  to  be  a  scourge 
and  a  curse  to  society.  The  young  must  be  kept  so- 
ber, or  they  will  become  drunkards.  So  it  is  with 
church  debts.     If  we  pay  off  the  existing  debts  of  the 


64  Church  l)ebts. 

churches,  and  still  countenance  the  sin  of  building  new 
churches  without  paying  for  them,  we  shall  soon  have 
the  same  evil  to  mourn  over  that  we  now  have.  The 
practice  must  be  resolutely  frowned  upon  by  every 
lover  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Let  no  church  be 
erected  through  vain  glory  or  party  spirit,  or  to  grati- 
fy the  pride  or  feelings  of  a  few.  But  let  them  be 
erected  only  when  and  where  they  are  needed.  And 
let  them  be  paid  for  before  ever  a  Christian  minister 
shall,  in  the  name  of  the  people,  stand  up  in  their  pre- 
sence and  dedicate  to  Cod  that  which  they  know  does 
not  belong  to  them.  This  evil  may  easily  be  prevented* 
It  is  in  the  power  of  the  ministers  to  do  it  at  once.  Let 
them  resolve  that  they  will  not  dedicate  a  church  to  God 
that  is  in  debt,  and  that  they  will  not  destroy  the  comfort 
and  peace  of  a  brother,  and  hinder  his  usefulness,  by 
placing  him  over  a  church  that  is  in  debt,  and  soon  the 
evil  complained  of  will  be  cured.  If  this  were  done,  we 
should  seldom  hear  of  ministers  leaving  their  people 
for  want  of  a  support.  The  members  of  the  churches 
would  then  understand  what  they  must  do  to  have  a 
minister  of  Christ  placed  over  them ;  and  when  they 
had  him,  they  would  be  free  to  labor  for  the  salvation 
of  souls,  without  the  continued  annoyance  of  a  debt. 
I  might  ask  you  now  to  look  at  the  churches  in  this 
city,  and  to  tell  me  what  it  is  which  perplexes  the 
minds  of  the  officers  of  the  churches.  It  is  their  debt. 
What  breaks  in  upon  the  studies  and  pastoral  duties  of 
the  settled  pastors?  The  church  debt.  What  turns 
off  the  minds  of  the  elders  and  leading  men  of  the 
church  from  the  great  work  of  saving  souls  ?  It  is 
their  church  debt.  What  is  it  that  leads  the  people  to 
lessen  the  salary  of  their  ministers,  or  to  fix  it  at  the 
lowest  possible  rate,  or  to  be  always  dilatory  in  pay- 
ing their  minister,  so  that  he  is  often  pressed  beyond 
measure  for  the  mere  necessaries  of  life?  It  is  the 
church  debt.  What  is  that  brings  down  the  curse  of 
God  upon  the  churches  throughout  our  land?  It  is 
the  awful  fact  that  they  are  robbing  God  of  his  due. 
Do  you  ask,  wherein  do  they  rob  him?     I  answer, 


An  Interesting  Fact.  65 


"  In  tithes  and  offerings."  It  surely  is  not  the  time  for 
those  who  call  themselves  the  stewards  of  God,  to  be 
dwelling  in  their  ceiled  houses,  while  the  house  of  God 
remains  unfinished  or  in  debt.  May  the  churches 
have  grace  to  "  consider  their  ways,"  and  repent  of 
this  great  evil,  that  the  blessing  of  God  may  rest  upon 
them ! 

In  a  former  letter  I  mentioned  the  interesting  fact 
that  in  Bombay  the  Hindoos  have  upwards  of  four 
hundred  temples  for  a  population  of  about  200,000, 
that  is,  one  temple  for  every  five  hundred  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  that  they  are  all  out  of  debt.  Some  of  those 
temples  have  cost  not  less  than  50,000  dollars,  and 
some  of  them  100,000  dollars! 

At  a  missionary  meeting,  held  on  New  Year's  day 
in  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gillette's  church,  I  asked  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Kincaid  whether  any  of  the  temples  or  pagodas  in 
Burmah  were  in  debt.  He  replied,  Not  one.  Many 
of  these  temples  have  been  erected  at  a  vast  expense, 
and  not  a  few  of  them  by  individuals. 

It  appears,  then,  to  be  a  dictate  of  nature,  and  of 
natural  and  revealed  religion,  that  God  should  be  wor- 
shipped in  houses  not  in  debt.  The  heathen  act  up  to 
the  light  they  have  on  this  subject.  It  is  left  for  Chris- 
tian people,  in  the  nineteenth  century,  to  act  in  a  man- 
ner so  unworthy  of  themselves,  and  so  totally  incon- 
sistent with  the  profession  they  have  made.  It  is  well 
the  heathen  do  not  know  what  the  conduct  of  Chris- 
tians is  in  this  respect,  else  they  would,  I  fear,  despise 
us  as  much  as  they  do  those  who  make  their  god  and 
then  eat  him.  As  we  are  sending  to  the  heathen  mis- 
sionaries to  convert  them  to  Christianity,  would  it  not 
be  well  to  ask  them  to  send  missionaries  to  Christian 
lands  to  convert  the  people  from  the  sin  of  professing 
to  give  to  God  houses  which  belong  not  to  them,  and 
which  the  sheriff  may  seize  at  any  time  for  debt ! 

Yours,  as  ever,  W.  R. 


66  Church  Debts. 


LETTER  XIIL 

In  my  last  letter,  I  showed  you  what  we  must  do 
to  prevent  an  increase  of  the  evil  of  church  debts.  I 
will  now  turn  your  attention, 

2dly.  To  the  remedy  for  the  present  existing  evil. 
It  is  our  duty,  as  honest  men,  and  as  Christians,  to  pay 
the  debts  which  are  now  upon  the  houses  devoted  to 
the  service  of  God. 

This  can  be  done,  1st,  immediately,  by  Christians 
taking  some  of  the  Lord's  money,  which  they,  as  the 
stewards  of  God,  have  laid  by  for  their  own*  use,  and 
with  it  paying  oft"  the  debts  upon  the  houses  in  which 
they  worship  their  Redeemer* 

Or,  2d,  it  can  be  done  in  a  short  time,  by  a  number 
of  Christians,  who  are  not  needed  in  the  larger  and 
wealthier  churches,  uniting  their  contributions,  efforts, 
and  prayers  with  those  who  are  laboring  in  the  feebler 
churches.  In  this  manner  they  will  obey  the  injunc- 
tion of  the  apostle,  who  said,  "  I  have  showed  you  all 
things,  how  that  so  laboring  ye  ought  to  support  the 
weak;"  and  to  remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus, when  He  said,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to 
receive*" 

Permit  me  now  to  turn  your  attention  to  the  first  of 
these  plans,  viz. :  the  immediate  payment  of  the  debts 
now  upon  the  churches. 

I  remark,  first,  that  it  can  be  done*  The  debt  upon 
the  churches  in  this  city,  under  the  care  of  the  Third 
and  Fourth  Presbyteries,  is  about  $100,000,  which, at 
the  rate  of  six  per  cent.,  draws  out  of  the  churches 
the  nett  sum  of  about  $6,000  per  annum,  in  the  shape 
of  interest ;  or  rather,  I  should  say,  as  a  tax  for  pride 
and  covetousness.  The  debt  upon  the  churches  under 
the  care  of  the  First  and  Second  Presbyteries  is  by  no 
means  small.  It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  one  of 
their  churches  will  not  yet  pass  into  the  hands  of  the 


Wealth  of  Christians.  67 

Romanists  for  debt.*  The  Methodist,  Baptist,  and 
Episcopal  churches  are  large  stockholders  in  the  curse 
of  church  debts.  The  amount  of  debt  upon  all  these 
churches  is  not  far  from  8200,000  more,  which  will 
be  $12,000  more  of  interest.  Here,  then,  we  have 
$18,000,  which  the  churches  of  this  city  are  paying 
annually,  as  interest  upon  their  church  debts.  Quite 
enough  to  support  thirty  ministers  in  country  charges, 
at  $600  each ;  or  enough  to  send  out  and  support 
twenty  missionaries  among  the  heathen.  And  all  this 
is  spent  to  gratify  a  foolish  pride.  I  doubt  whether 
the  churches  in  this  city  give  half  as  much  annually  to 
obey  the  last  command  of  their  ascended  Lord,  to 
carry  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  as  they  do  to  gratify 
themselves  in  the  matter  of  church  adorning,  and  in 
paying  the  interest  on  church  debts.  No  marvel  that 
six  hundred  millions  of  the  heathen  are  still  without 
the  gospel,  since  this  is  the  spirit  of  the  church  in  the 
nineteenth  century.  Let  us  weep  that  it  is  so,  and 
pray  that  it  may  not  remain  so. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  debt  that  presses  upon 
the  church,  it  could  be  paid  immediately,  because  the 
people  of  God  are  able  to  do  it.  I  speak  advisedly, 
when  I  say  they  are  able  to  do  it.  Look  at  the  im- 
mense wealth  that  is  in  this  city.  Now  ask,  into 
whose  hands  has  God  entrusted  all  this  wealth?  You 
will  find  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  it  is  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  are  the  avowed  friends  and  fol- 
lowers of  Him  who  became  poor  for  our  sakes.  A  large 
portion  of  the  remainder  is  held  by  those  who,  although 
not  the  professed  followers  of  Christ,  are  the  decided 
friends  of  Christianity — are  regular  in  their  attend- 
ance on  the  means  of  grace,  and  are  ready  to  con- 
tribute to  the  support  of  every  benevolent  enterprise. 
The  wealth  of  this  city  is  not  held  by  the  misanthrope 
and  the  foe  of  the  Bible.  If  the  people  of  God  do  not 
now  possess  as  much  of  their  Lord's  money  as  is 
needed  to  carryforward  his  work,  there  is  still  enough 

*  They  now  have  it, 


Church  Debts. 

in  the  hands  of  others  to  do  it,  which  they  may  obtain. 
For,  as  "  the  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fullness  there- 
of," as  "the  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for  the  just," 
and  as  the  promise  is,  "  ask,  and  ye  shall  receive,"  the 
amount  may  be  had,  if  the  proper  means  be  used. 
There  is  money  enough,  and  more  than  enough,  in 
the  hands  of  Christians,  to  release  the  houses  of  their 
God  from  the  pressure  of  mortgages  and  judgment- 
bonds,  which  now  weigh  them  down.  The  pewholders 
in  one  congregation  alone,  in  this  city,  hold  property 
to  the  amount  of,  at  least,  thirty  millions  of  dollars! 
What  a  trust  is  this  !  And  what  a  fearful  responsibili- 
ty rests  upon  those  who  are  the  stewards  of  so  much  of 
God's  money.  There  are  individual  Christians  among 
us  who  hold  property  from  the  value  of  one  hundred 
thousand  up  to  two  million  of  dollars.  A  gentle- 
man, who  certainly  has  the  means  of  knowing  facts 
like  the  following,  and  who  is  not  apt  to  make  ground- 
less statements,  recently  informed  me  that  the  Saviour 
has  entrusted  in  the  hands  of  one  of  his  people  in  this 
city,  and  which  he  now  holds,  more  money  than  has 
been  received  into  the  treasury  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  since  the  year 
1812 — say,  some  two  and  a  half  or  three  millions  of 
dollars!  There  are  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  communicants  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  this  country.  Each  of  these  could,  on  an  average, 
give  five  dollars  per  annum,  towards  paying  off  the 
debt  of  the  Lord's  house.  Yes,  they  might  do  it  easily, 
and  not  lose  a  single  meal  by  the  gift. 

Now,  take  what  view  of  this  subject  you  choose, 
still,  I  think,  you  will  agree  with  me  in  the  belief,  that 
the  people  of  God  have  enough  of  their  Lord's  money 
in  their  hands  to  pay  off  all  the  debt  that  now  rests 
upon  the  churches  dedicated  to  his  service.  The  work 
can  be  done.  If  the  work  can  be  done,  it  may  be 
asked,  why  is  it  not  done?  I  reply,  that  many  Chris- 
tians have  not  seriously  thought  of  paying  off'  the  debts 
of  their  churches;  and  yet  they  would  cheerfully  aid, 
if  any  one  would  lead  the  way.     There  may  be  some 


The  Remedy.  69 

who  do  not  wish  to  do  it,  and  the  reason  is,  they  ima- 
gine they  can  make  more  money  for  themselves  by  the 
operation.  I  will  explain  myself.  Suppose  Mr.  A.  has 
the  sum  of  $5,000,  which  he  chooses  to  call  his  own. 
He  is  a  member  of  a  church  that  is  in  debt  some  $8,000 
or  $10,000,  and  is  now  called  on  to  aid  in  paying  off 
the  debt.  He  reasons  thus:  I  can  give  $1,000,  and 
so  can  others  ;  but,  as  the  interest  is  only  six  per  cent., 
if  I  keep  my  thousand  dollars,  and  trade  with  it,  I  can 
make  ten,  twenty,  or  even  thirty  per  cent,  profit  out 
of  it.  I  will,  therefore,  cheerfully  pay  my  portion  of 
the  interest  as  it  becomes  due.  1  will  trade  with  my 
Lord's  money,  and  whatever  is  over  the  six  per  cent., 
which  I  must  pay,  as  my  share  of  the  interest  money, 
I  will  put  in  my  own  pocket.  And  when  1  am  dead, 
the  money  may  go  to  pay  the  debt. 

There  may  be  some  who  feel  and  act  in  this  way, 
and  it  is  probable  that  they  think  they  act  wisely. 
Perhaps  they  do  for  this  world,  but  not  for  the  next. 
Is  this  the  proper  course  for  those  to  pursue  who  are 
Che  Lord's  stewards?     Judge  ye. 

Yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church  debts. 

W.  R. 


LETTER  XIV. 

The  debts  upon  our  churches  can  be  paid.  There 
is  money  enough  in  the  hands  of  Christians,  which 
belongs  to  their  Lord,  to  pay  off  all  the  debts  which 
are  now  upon  the  houses  dedicated  to  His  service. 
The  simple  question  is,  Will  they  do  it?  A  brother 
in  the  ministry  says,  No.  It  may  be  so.  It  may  be 
that  the  people  of  God  do  not  possess  enough  of  the 
spirit  of  their  Lord,  to  do  their  duty  in  this  respect. 
The  time,  however,  will  come,  when  it  will  be  as  dis- 
reputable for  a  congregation  to  be  in  debt  for  the 
6* 


Church  Debts. 

njuse  in  which  they  worship  their  Creator,  as  it  is 
now  for  ministers  or  elders  to  be  "  given  to  wine." 
The  conscience  of  the  church  is  beginning  to  awake. 
May  it  yet  speak  so  as  to  be  heard. 

But,  who  will  lead  in  this  matter  of  church  reform  1 
Who  will  propose  a  plan  which  shall  meet  the  appro- 
bation of  God,  and  of  his  church  ?  Let  some  church 
act  promptly  in  this  matter.  Let  them  pay  their  debt. 
Let  them  tell  that  fact  to  their  brethren,  and  show 
them  how  it  was  done.  Let  others  follow  their  noble 
example,  and  soon  the  curse  will  be  removed. 

I  would  say,  let  the  pastors  of  the  congregations 
wrhich  are  now  in  debt,  bring  the  subject  before  their 
people.  Let  them  confess  their  sins  in  this  matter,  and 
resolve  to  do,  immediately,  what  they  can  to  deliver 
themselves  from  their  debt.  In  this  way,  they  will 
show,  at  least,  that  they  are  sincere.  Let  the  rich 
give  liberally  of  their  abundance;  and  let  the  poor, 
from  the  depth  of  their  poverty,  cast  their  mite  into 
the  treasury  of  the  Lord.  Let  there  be  a  willing 
mind,  and  a  self-denying  spirit,  and  soon  the  churches 
will  be  delivered  from  this,  worse  than  Egyptian 
bondage. 

I  am  disposed  to  think,  that  the  church,  as  a  body, 
have  lost  sight,  in  a  great  degree,  of  the  grand  design 
of  their  organization.  And  hence  it  is,  that  their  ef- 
forts, influence,  and  money,  are  so  often  turned  aside 
to  the  promotion  of  other  objects  than  the  advance- 
ment of  the  cause  of  Christ.  The  object  which  the 
Saviour  has,  in  sending  the  gospel  to  us  sinners,  is, 
that  we  may  know  the  truth  ;  that  we  may  believe  on 
him,  and  obtain  everlasting  life.  Peter  tells  us  that 
"God  at  the  first  did  visit  the  Gentiles,  to  take  out  of 
them  a  people  for  His  name."  Paul  tells  us,  that  "the 
great  God,  even  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  gave  him- 
self for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity, 
and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of 
g©od  works."  The  gospel  is  God's  testimony  in  the 
case,  that  these  things  are  so.  It  is  "  good  news"  to 
us,  and  to  all  who  hear  it.  When  any  are  converted, 
and  brought  into  the  church,  they  become,  professed- 


The  Remedy.  71 

]y,  at  least,  co-workers  with  God,  in  extending  the 
knowledge  of  the  Redeemer,  and  the  plan  of  salvation 
through  him.  The  grand  work,  yea,  the  only  work 
of  the  church,  is  to  obey  the  last  command  of  her 
Lord.  No  other  object,  however  good  in  itself,  should 
be  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  work  which  the  Sa- 
viour has  committed  to  the  church  to  perform. 

Ministers  may  be  engaged  in  a  great  many  useful 
works,  besides  preaching  the  gospel ;  but  they  were 
never  ordained  for  any  thing  else  than  to  preach  the 
gospel.  That  is  the  work  which  God  gave  them  to  do. 
And  let  them  see  to  it,  that  they  "take  heed  to  the  mi- 
nistry which  they  have  received  in  the  Lord,  that  they 
fulfil  it."  The  members  of  our  churches  may  also  be 
engaged  in  many  useful  and  benevolent  works;  but 
the  work  which  the  Lord  has  given  them  to  do,  is  to 
glorify  him  by  bearing  the  fruits  of  the  spirit,  and  by 
making  known  to  others  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.  Christians  are  to  be  the  light  of  the  world. 
They  are  to  let  their  light  shine;  and  so  shine,  that 
others,  seeing  their  good  works,  may  be  led  to  glorify 
God.  This  is,  then,  the  grand  duty  of  the  church  of 
Christon  the  earth.  Forthis  specific  purpose  the  church 
has  been  organized,  and  has  been  kept  in  existence 
until  the  present  time.  It  is  her  business  to  labor  for 
the  salvation  of  men.  It  is  her  only  work.  No  other 
work  that  she  can  engage  in,  can  ever,  in  any  degree, 
compensate  for  her  neglect  of  this  duty.  The  Saviour 
has  assigned  it  to  her,  and  she  must  do  it. 

There  are  multitudes  of  persons  in  the  world,  to  at- 
tend to  the  interests  of  commerce,  of  agriculture,  and 
of  science.  There  are  societies  formed  for  attending 
to  all  those  varied  objects,  and  they  will  do  it.  But 
the  church  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  such,  has  nothing  to  do 
in  these  matters.  Her  business  is  to  attend  to  the  last 
command  of  her  Lord,  and  to  see  that  it  is  obeyed. 
As  individuals,  and  as  members  of  society,  Christians 
have  duties  to  perform,  in  reference  to  this  world,  as 
well  as  other  men.  But,  as  members  of  the  church 
of  Christ,  their  only  duty  is  to  see  that  the  command 


72  Church  Debts. 

of  their  Lord  is  obeyed  to  the  very  letter.  As  this  is 
their  work,  and  as  he  has  made  his  people  stewards  of 
his  property,  for  the  express  purpose  that  they  may 
do  the  work,  for  which  he  has  chosen  them  from  out 
of  the  world,  what  right  have  they  to  divert  their 
Lord's  money  from  its  appropriate  use,  to  any  thing 
else?  We  certainly  have  no  objections  to  rail  roads 
and  steamboats,  or  any  of  the  improvements  of  the 
day;  but,  we  would  ask,  again,  with  all  sincerity, 
where  does  the  Christian  find  his  authority  for  enter- 
ing with  a  whole  soul,  and  with  an  open  and  liberal 
hand,  into  all  the  speculations  of  the  day,  while  he 
gives  so  sparingly  to  the  very  cause  which  he  has  so- 
lemnly pledged"  himself,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  of 
man,  that  he  will  sustain?  There  is  a  discrepancy  be- 
tween the  conduct  and  professions  of  such  Christians 
which  no  man  can  reconcile.  If  that  is  the  spirit  of 
Christianity,  then  I  say  heathenism  is  consistency  com- 
pared with  it.  Ah  !  how  eager  are  many,  who  bear 
the  livery  of  heaven,  to  catch  the  first  news  of  the 
state  of  the  markets  at  home  and  abroad;  and  yet, 
how  slow  are  they  to  inquire  after  the  prosperity  of 
that  very  cause  which  God  has  placed  them  to  watch 
over,  and  for  the  promotion  of  which  he  has  entrusted 
so  much  wealth  in  their  hands!  Such  conduct  is  very 
much  of  a  piece  with  that  of  those  parents,  who  are 
constantly  visiting  their  neighbors,  and  are  caressing 
their  children,  but  show  little  or  no  concern  for  the 
temporal  or  spiritual  good  of  their  own.  There  is, 
certainly,  something  wrong  here.  I  do  not  say  that* 
there  is  hypocrisy  in  the  souls  of  such;  but  it  really 
looks  like  it.  However,  we  must  not  say  so,  lest  we 
should  offend  any  of  our  readers.  Still,  I  should  like 
to  know  what  name  they  would  give  such  conduct. 

To  those,  therefore,  who  possess  their  Lord's  mo- 
ney, I  would  say:  Remember  that  you  are  but  stew- 
ards. Your  term  of  office  will  soon  expire.  "  Make 
to  yourselves  friends  of  the  mammon  of  unrighteous- 
ness, that  when  ye  fail,  they  may  receive  you  into 
everlasting  habitations."     If  you  prove  unfaithful  to 


Design  of  the  Church.  73 

your  trust,  if  you  will  spend  your  Lord's  money  in 
attending  to  your  own  business,  and  neglect  his  work, 
will  he  not  require  it  at  your  hand  ?  He  became  poor 
for  your  sake,  and  you  became  rich  by  being  unfaith- 
ful to  your  Lord.  How  can  you  meet  Jesus,  and  tell 
him  that  you  left  his  sanctuary  in  debt,  because  you 
wished  to  get  gain  through  the  unfaithful  use  of  his 
money?  As  an  honest  Christian,  resolve,  "  I  will,  God 
helping  me,  do  my  duty  in  this  matter." 

There  is  a  church  in  this  city  about  $40,000  in  debt ! 
There  is  another  about  8  30,000  in  debt !  Another 
$28,000  !  Now,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  such  church- 
es cannot  be  blessed  of  God.  To  pray  for  a  revival 
of  pure  and  undefiled  religion,  in  such  churches,  and 
under  such  circumstances,  is  absurd.  With  the  so- 
lemn declaration  of  God  in  Malachi  iii.  8 — 10,  sound- 
ing in  their  ears,  I  wonder  how  they  dare  pray  for 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  With  the  views  I  have 
of  the  character  of  God,  I  do  not  see  how  he  can  be 
true  to  his  word,  and  revive  churches  that  thus  rob 
him.  But  it  is  not  what  the  writer  thinks.  The  ques- 
tion is,  what  are  the  dealings  of  God  in  the  case  of 
such  churches?  See,  and  judge  for  yourselves.  Does 
God  revive  his  work  there?  Does  his  word  have  free 
course?  Is  it  glorified?  Alas!  it  is  chained  by  a  debt. 
As  well  might  a  Christian  mount  to  the  throne  of  God 
with  the  world  tied  to  his  feet,  as  God's  word  have 
free  course  with  such  a  clog  appended  to  it.  Oh!  the 
dishonesty  (or  hypocrisy,  if  you  choose)  of  men,  who 
call  themselves  by  the  name  of  Christ — who  gratify 
their  pride  and  covetousness  with  their  Lord's  money 
— who  refuse  to  bring  all  the  tithes  in  the  Lord's  store- 
house—who hide  their  sins  from  the  ministers  of  Christ, 
till  they  are  called  and  settled  over  them,  and  who 
then  hope  through  the  prayers  and  preachings  of  God's 
ministers  to  grow  in  grace,  and  to  ripen  for  heaven, 
while  the  word  of  the  Lord  thunders  in  their  ears: 
"jYe  are  cursed  with  a  curse;  for  ye  have  robbed  me, 
even  this  whole  nation."  Oh,  ye^servants  of  the  Lord, 
lift  up  your  voices  like  trumpets;  cry  aloud  and  spare 


?4  Church  Debts. 

not;  declare  unto  the  people  their  sins,  and  make 
known  to  them  their  transgression.  Why  do  you  la- 
bor in  vain?  Why  spend  your  strength  for  nought? 
Cease  not  to  warn  the  people,  till  they  remove  this 
Achan  from  the  camp  of  the  Lord,  that  Israel  may 
enter  the  land  of  promise. 

Come,  then,  ye  stewards  of  God,  be  faithful  to  your 
trust.  Keep  not  back  your  Lord's  money.  Pay  the 
debt  upon  his  house.  Then  will  the  windows  of  hea- 
ven be  opened,  and  a  blessing  be  poured  out  upon  you, 
upon  your  families,  and  upon  your  ministers,  that  there 
shall  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it.  Prove  the 
Lord  by  doing  your  duty. 

I  have  a  few  thoughts  for  the  ladies  in  my  next. 

I  am  yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church 
debts,  W.  R. 


LETTER  XV. 

To  the  Ladies. 

I  have  promised,  in  this  letter  to  say  something  to 
the  ladies  on  church  debts.  The  Apostle  Paul  (and 
certainly  he  should  know)  says,  that  "there  is  a  dif- 
ference between  a  wife  and  a  virgin.  The  unmarried 
woman  careth  for  the  things  of  the  Lord,  that  she 
may  be  holy  in  body  and  in  spirit ;  but  she  that  is  mar- 
ried careth  for  the  things  of  the  world,  how  she  may 
please  her  husband."  Now,  if  it  be  so,  that  there  is  a 
class  of  persons  in  the  church,  who  do  care  "for  the 
things  of  the  Lord,"  I  certainly  may  hope  to  enlist 
them  in  the  good  cause  of  trying  to  deliver  the  Lord's 
house  from  the  curse  of  a  debt  which  rests  upon  it. 
But  I  by  no  means  think  that  those  who  "  care  for  the 
things  of  the  world,  how  they  may  please  their  hus- 
bands," have  lost  their  "care  for  the  things  of  the 
Lord."  Far  from  it.  Many  in  ancient  and  in  modern 
limes  have  been,  ancf  still  are,  among  the  foremost  in 


Female  Influence.  75 

every  good  work.  I  have  not  forgotten  that  it  was 
through  the  influence  which  Lady  William  Bentick 
exerted  over  her  husband,  while  he  was  Governor 
General  oflndia,  that  the  horrid  system  of  Suttee  was 
abolished  throughout  the  English  provinces.  Women 
have  a  power  over  "  the  lords  of  creation"  which  is 
mighty.  And  the  simple  truth  is,  after  all  said  and 
done,  women  rule  the  icorld.  Queen  Victoria  rules 
England.  And  Dr.  Giustiniani  tells  us  that  the  Coun- 
tess Giovennino  rules  the  Pope.  (See  his  work,  page 
29.)  When  they  rule  well,  I  would  say  amen ;  but, 
when  ill,  woe  is  unto  the  world.  The  operation  of 
the  thing  reminds  me  of  a  Sungskrit  Shlok,  which  I 
will  repeat : 

Devadheen  jugud  surwum  ; 
Muntradhenuch-u-divatum ; 
Tun  ruuntro  Brahmunadhenum  ; 
Brahmuno  mum-u-divatum. 

Englished  thus: 

The  world  is  subject  to  God ; 

God  is  subject  to  the  muntru  ; 

The  muntru  is  subject  to  the  Brahmun  ; 

Therefore,  the  Brahmun  is  my  God. 

A  more  free  translation  of  the  idea  would  be — 

The  church  is  subject  to  a  withering  debt : 

The  debt  is  subject  to  men,  who  keep  the  purse  ; 

The  men  are  subject  to  women,  (wives  and  daughters  ;) 

Therefore,  women  can  deliver  the  church  from  debt. 

If  this  is  not  good  logic,  I  am  certain  the  conclusion 
reached  is  a  very  pleasing  one.  At  all  events,  I  be- 
lieve it  can  be  done  by  them.  Yea,  more,  I  believe  it 
will  be  done  by  them  ;  if  not  directly,  it  will  be  done 
indirectly,  through  the  influence  they  may  exert  on 
this  subject. 

But  to  the  point  in  hand.  There  are  two  classes  of 
unmarried  ladies  in  the  church,  to  whose  consideration 
I  would  now  present  a  few  thoughts,  viz. :  those  who 
have  not,  and  those  who  have,  an  abundance  of  this 
world's  goods.     I  take  it  for  granted,  that  all  of  you 


76  Church  Debts. 

love  your  Lord  and  Saviour;  and  that  you  have  sin- 
cerely consecrated  your  all  to  his  service;  and  that 
you  consider  yourselves  as  not  your  own,  but  the 
Lord's.  To  you  I  say,  the  house  of  your  Lord  is  in 
debt !  It  must  be  redeemed.  Many  of  you  have  but 
little  of  this  world's  goods;  but  you  have  what  is  far 
better.  You  have  influence.  You  have  influence  at  a 
throne  of  grace;  and  you  have  influence  over  the 
minds  of  many.  Use  your  influence  at  the  throne  of 
grace,  that  God  may  incline  his  people  to  do  what  is 
honest  and  right  in  this  matter.  You  may  influence 
a  father,  or  a  mother,  or  some  friend  to  do,  in  this 
cause,  a  noble  work  for  God  and  for  the  church. 
Resolve  that  you  will  try.  And  when  a  plan  shall  be 
laid  before  you,  for  liquidating  the  debt  upon  the 
churches,  give  as  God  may  enable  you.  I  ask  no 
more  of  you,  except  to  follow  your  efforts  with  prayer, 
fervent  and  continued. 

To  those  ladies  who  have  an  abundance  of  their 
Lord's  money  at  their  disposal,  I  would  say,  (1st,) 
remember  that  Jesus  Christ  became  poor  for  your 
sakes;  not  that  you  should  become  rich  in  this  world, 
but  that  you  should  be  rich  in  faith  and  in  good  works. 
Remember  (2d)  that  you  are  only  stewards,  and  that 
soon  you  must  render  in  your  account  to  the  Great 
Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  your  souls,  and  receive  your 
reward  according  to  .the  mode  in  which  you  have 
acted  for  your  God.  Some  of  you  may  have  friends 
who  are  dependant  on  you  for  a  temporal  support.  Ot 
course,  a  portion  of  the  Lord's  money  in  your  hands 
must  go  for  their  good.  But  many  of  you  are  other- 
wise circumstanced.  You  have  far  morethan  enough  to 
support  you,  even  to  old  age.  And  when  you  shall 
have  passed  into  eternity,  you  will  have  left  some  thou- 
sands of  God's  money  to  be  divided  among  those  who 
may  use  it  only  for  their  own  gratification,  and  to  the 
injury,  if  not  the  ruin,  of  their  souls.  Oh !  how  it 
would  grieve  you  now,  if  some  one  should  find  their 
way  into  your  coffers,  and  should  squander  away  all 
your  wealth  in  vanity  and  in  sin,  just  leaving  you 


A  work  for  Christian  Ladies,  77 

enough  to  sustain  you  while  you  lived,  and  to  bury 
you  when  dead  !  Should  you  not  grieve  to  think  that 
while  you  are  on  the  earth,  you  are  keeping  riches  to 
your  hurt,  and  that  when  you  shall  die,  they  will  fall 
jnto  the  hands  of,  you  know  not  whom— perhaps  a  wise 
man,  perhaps  a  fool?  No  matter  into  whose  hands 
they  may  fall,  you  have  no  guarantee  that  the  proper- 
ty God  has  put  into  your  hands,  to  be  used  for  his 
glory,  will  be  thus  used.  God  will  hold  you  account- 
able for  it.  He  has  made  ijou  a  steward  of  his  pro- 
perty, and  you  cannot  roll  your  responsibility  upon 
another.  Is  it,  then,  wise,  is  it  safe,  for  you  to  waste 
it  upon  yourself,  in  needless  expense,  or  to  hoard  it 
up,  to  be  a  curse  to  others  when  you  are  gone? 

This  is  a   solemn   thought,     ft  is  one  which  you 
should  most  devoutly  ponder  and  pray  over.     Jt  will 
meet  you  on  your  dying  pillow.     It  will  meet  vou,  as 
you  stand  before  the  Saviour  as  your  Judo-e,*in  the 
great  day.      Ah !  my  wealthy  friend,  how°can  vou 
meet  the  Saviour,  and  there  confess  before  the  uni- 
verse that  you  injured  your  soul  and  hindered   the 
work  of  your  Lord,  by  spending  your  time,  on  earth, 
in  pleasing  yourself,  and  in  laboriously  striving  to  keep 
the  Lord's  money  together,  instead  of  scattering  it  with 
a  wise  and  prudent  hand,  for  the  glory  of  God^nd  for 
the  salvation  of  souls.     When  the  elders  of  the  Jews 
came  to  Jesus,  beseeching  him  to  come  and  heal  the 
centurion's  servant,  they  said,  "He  was  worthy  for 
whom  He  should  do  this;  for  he  loveth  our  nation, 
and  hath  built  us  a  synagogue."     How  much  better 
lor  you,  both  now  and  at  the  appearing  of  your  Lord 
to  have  some  redeemed  congregation  of  saints,  from 
among  the  heathen,  or  in  a  Christian  land,  rise  up  and 
say,  concerning  you,  "She  is  worthy— for  she  hath 
loved  us,  and  hath  built  us  a  church/'  than  to  have 
them  rise  up  in  judgment,  and  condemn  you,  because, 
for  your  own  gratification,  you  had  kept  back  your 
Lord  s  money,  left  his  church  in  debt,  and  ruined  souls, 
for  want  of  that  aid  you  neglected  to  give? 
There  is  a  custom  which  prevails  very  generally  in 


78  Church  Debts. 

India,  of  young  females  devoting  themselves  for  life  to 
the  service  of  their  idol  gods.  Their  business  is  to  wash 
and  dress  the  idol,  to  keep  the  apartments  clean,  and 
to  assist  the  worshippers  in  a  variety  of  ways  in  the 
worship  of  the  idol.  These  girls  never  marry.  The 
idol  is  their  husband.  Their  whole  energies,  youth, 
beauty,  soul,  and  body,  are  given,  without  reserve,  to 
the  promotion  of  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  idol  and 
of  the  temple.  The  idea  is  a  beautiful  one.  I  would 
that  the  youthful,  beautiful,  and  wealthy  maidens  of  our 
land  could  be  induced  to  devote  themselves,  without 
reserve,  to  the  service  of  a  pure  and  holy  God,  and 
thus  exemplify  the  idea  of  Paul,  that  the  unmarried 
woman  careth  for  the  things  of  the  Lord.  I  do  not 
mean  that  they  should  go  into  nunneries,  for  that  is  a 
perversion  of  God's  plan  in  reference  to  this  portion  of 
the  human  family.  But  I  do  mean  that  they  should 
devote  their  energies  to  the  service  of  God,  in  doing 
good,  and  in  letting  their  light  shine,  so  that  others 
may  see  their  good  works,  and  be,  in  like  manner,  led 
to  glorify  God.  Unreserved  consecration  of  heart  and 
life  is  needed. 

I  am  fully  convinced  that  the  Christian  female  has 
a  heart  to  feel  for  the  miseries  of  others.  The  cry  of 
the  destitute  from  India,  from  Burmah,  and  from  the 
islands  of  the  sea,  has  not  been  unheeded.  Many  have 
followed  in  the  footsteps  of  Mrs.  Newell  and  Judson, 
those  pioneers  in  American  missions.  Their  names 
are  embalmed  in  the  memory  of  the  churches.  Many 
more  are  willing  to  make  similar  sacrifices,  and  to  for- 
sake all  at  home  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  But  is  it  not 
too  often  true,  that 

"  'Tis  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view," 

while  objects  quite  as  worthy  our  attention  are  over- 
looked, because  near  at  hand?  There  certainly  can 
be  no  good  reason  for  our  feeling  so  deeply  for  sinners 
afar  off,  and  for  giving  liberally  to  save  them,  and  yet 
feel  so  little  and  give  so  sparingly  for  the  conversion 
of  sinners  at  our  very  doors.     The  destitutions  of  this 


Destitution  of  this  City.  79 

city  are  far  greater  than  the  most  of  persons  imagine. 
In  East  and  West  Kensington  there  is  a  population  of 
about  46,776.  For  these  there  is  church  room  for 
10,000  out  of  46,000! 

In  the  District  of  Moyamensing  there  is  a  popula- 
tion of  about  27,000.  Of  this  number  about  4,000  are 
colored.     They  have  church  room  for  only  7  or  800. 

For  the  white  population  there  are  only  four 
churches,  viz.: 

1  Presbyterian    Church,   seating    800. 
1  Methodist  "  "         1,000. 

1  Episcopal  «  "  300. 

1  Roman  "  "         1,000, 

There  is,  then,  church  room  for  about  3,100  out  of 
the  24,000. 

There  are  unlicensed  groggeries,  280  ! ! 
"         licensed  T<  10!! 

2,000  children  go  to  no  school. 

2,000,  above  the  age  of  fifteen,  cannot  read  or 
write. 

About  12,000  adults  have  no  church  room. 

The  District  of  Southwark  and  the  City  proper  are 
no  better  supplied.  How  can  150  churches,  accom- 
modating only  about  75,000,  be  sufficient  for  340,000 
people?  But  I  am  told  that  the  churches  which  are 
built  are  not.  full.  True;  but  that  is  not  the  worst  of 
it.  They  never  icill  be,  under  the  present  system  of  things. 
Let  Christians  pay  their  debts  to  God,  by  paying  the 
debts  of  their  churches,  and  then  they  can,  in  honesty, 
urge  their  fellow-men  to  do  their  duty.  When  church 
members,  who  are  in  debt  for  their  church,  go  out  to 
invite  their  neighbors  and  friends  to  the  church,  it 
looks  a  little  like  asking  them  to  come  and  help  them 
pay  their  debt.  I  can  assure  you  that  many  under- 
stand it  so.  Let  Christians  pay  their  debts ;  then  let 
them  ask  their  friends  to  come  and  hear  God's  word, 
in  God's  house,  without  a  debt  upon  it,  and  soon  the 
sanctuaries  of  the  Lord  will  be  filled  with  devout  wor- 
shippers. Now,  ladies,  can  you  not  deliver  some  of 
the  churches  from  debt  1    I  know  you  can.     You  will 


80  Church  Debts. 

Jeave  your  wealih  after  a  while  to  those  who  may  not 
deserve  or  may  not  need  it.  Why  should  you  not  give 
it  to  your  Saviour  now?  Who  will  lead  the  way? 
Blessed  will  be  the  memory  of  her  who  will  thus  de- 
vote the  Lord's  money,  which  she  holds  as  a  steward, 
for  the  promotion  of  his  cause. 

I  shall  consider  the  second  mode  for  removing  the 
curse  of  church  debts  in  my  next. 

Yours,  as  ever,  W.  R. 


LETTER  XVI. 

I  will  address  this  letter  also  to  my  respected 
sisters  in  Christ,  who  are  the  stewards  of  a  larger  por- 
tion of  their  Lord's  money  than  they  need  for  the  be- 
nefit of  themselves,  or  for  those  who  are  dependant  on 
them. 

My  object  in  addressing  you,  my  Christian  friends, 
is  to  interest  your  hearts  more  deeply  in  the  work 
which  the  Lord  hath  given  you  to  do.  I  desire  that 
you  may  be  found  faithful;  so  that  when  your  Lord 
shall  call  you  to  give  an  account  of  your  stewardship, 
you  may  do  it  with  joy,  and  may  receive  the  plaudit 
of  "well  done!"  If  any  do  not  prove  faithful  in  the 
use  of  the  unrighteous  Mammon,  which  God  hath  put 
into  their  hands,  He  will  not  commit  to  them  the  true 
riches.  He  will  not  receive  them  into  his  glory.  This 
is  a  solemn  thought.  The  possession  of  everlasting 
habitations  is  made  to  depend  on  a  right  use  of  the 
wealth  and  influence  which  God  has  committed  to  our 
trust.  Covetousness  excludes  from  heaven.  It  debases 
the  nobleness  of  the  soul  as  certainly  and  as  deeply  as 
the  act  of  worshipping  a  dumb  idol. 

Let  me  sketch  a  portrait  of  one,  it  may  be  of  many, 
who  a  re  known  to  you.  She  is  (1st.)  a  lady  of  wealth, 


The  Contrast.  81 

and  a  member  of  a  Christian  church.  (2.)  She  lives 
at  ease,  in  a  degree  of  splendor  and  pomp.  (3.)  Her 
dress  is  of  the  best,  for  she  has  the  means  to  procure 
what  she  fancies,  and  therefore  lacks  nothing  that  her 
heart  can  desire.  (4.)  Her  house  is  neat,  if  not  grand; 
her  furniture  costly  and  fashionable ;  her  table,  if  not 
sumptuous,  is  always  laden  with  the  best  the  season 
can  produce.  (5.)  Her  time  is  spent  in  the  way  most 
agreeable  to  herself.  On  the  Sabbath  she  visits  the 
church,  provided  she  has  no  fears  of  soiling  her  dress 
by  exposure  to  the  weather.  Her  days  are  spent  in 
the  oversight  of  her  house  :  in  giving  and  in  receiving 
visits  of  friendship;  and  in  visiting  places  and  scenes 
that  may  gratify  and  amuse.  (6.)  Her  mind  is  stored 
with  what  may  be  gathered  from  the  lighter  publica- 
tions of  the  day,  as  annuals  and  magazines,  for  her 
education  was  finished  when  she  left  the  school-room 
some  years  ago.  (7.)  She  has  a  heart  to  feel  for  the  dis- 
tress of  others,  when  a  case  is  properly  presented  to  her 
mind  ;  and  will  give,  if  she  has  anything  she  can  con- 
veniently spare.  She  doubts  not  but  that  many  widows 
and  fatherless  children  might  be  fed  and  clothed  with 
the  excess  of  her  wardrobe  and  table,  above  what  she 
needs  for  herself  to  live  in  Christian  simplicity,  but  she 
knows  not  who  they  are,  and  does  not  feel  disposed  to 
search  for  them.  She  sees  not  the  deep  distress  of 
many  of  the  children  of  God,  and  hears  not  the  cry  of 
distress.  Her  enjoyments  and  amusements  lead  her 
amid  other  scenes,  where  plenty  always  crowns  the 
board.  She  does,  at  times,  do  good  to  others,  but  that 
is  with  her  a  secondary  consideration  ;  and  even  then 
it  is  made  a  matter  of  convenience,  rather  than  of 
conscience. 

Now  let  me  contrast  this  conduct  with  that  of  Him 
whose  disciple  she  professes  to  be.  (1st.)  He  was 
rich,  but  became  poor  for  our  sakes.  (2d.)  His  life 
was  one  of  industry  and  labor,  and  he  led  a  life  of  hu- 
mility, despising  the  pomp  of  this  world.  (3d.)  His 
dress  was  simple  and  plain.  (4th.)  His  house  could 
not  be  grand,  for  oft-times  he  had  not  where  to  lay 
7* 


82  Church  Debts. 

his  head.  (5th.)  His  time  was  spent,  not  in  doing  his 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  him  into  this 
world.  He  went  about  doing  good.  (6th.)  His  mind 
was  filled  with  knowledge  drawn  from  the  fountain  of 
truth.  (7th.)  He  sought  out  objects  of  charity  and  of 
distress.  He  denied  himself,  that  others  might  be  be- 
nefited. To  do  good  was  the  object  of  his  life,  and 
not  an  occasional  act. 

What  think  you  of  this  picture  of  the  contrast  1  The 
world,  and  many  in  the  church,  may  think  that  such  a 
lady  is  not  an  idolater.  But  God's  word  has  settled 
that  question:  she  "that  liveth  luxuriously  or  extrava- 
gantly (spatulosa,  Greek)  is  dead  while  she  liveth."  1 
Tim.  v.  6.  She  is  a  lover  of  self  more  than  of  God. 
She  is  spiritually  dead.  I  beseech  you,  imitate  not 
such  an  one.  How  much  better  for  you  to  imitate  the 
example  of  your  Lord,  in  going  about  doing  good  to 
others,  rather  than  in  seeking  your  own  comfort  and 
convenience  in  all  things. 

The  world  is  full  of  objects  upon  which  you  can 
bestow  your  benevolence.  As  you  have  espoused  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  hold  your  Lord's  property  for  the 
promotion  of  his  glory,  how  can  you  glorify  God  more 
than  by  giving  it  for  the  advancement  of  his  cause? 
There  are  many  feeble  churches  which  are  struggling 
for  existence.  Their  pastors  are  faithful  and  laborious, 
but  their  efforts  are  crippled,  and  their  spirit  crushed 
within  them,  under  the  weight  of  a  burden  which  they 
cannot  remove,  but  which  you  could  with  one  of  your 
fingers.  And  yet  it  is  not  done.  If  you  will  but  take 
the  trouble  to  inquire,  you  will  find  many  churches 
which  have  been  compelled  to  part  with  their  pastors 
again  and  again,  because  they  were  not  able  to  give 
them  the  small  sum  they  had  promised  them.  They 
had  hoped  that  the  stewards  of  the  Lord's  money 
would  have  aided  them  in  their  holy  enterprise.  But, 
no;  they  have  been  left  to  struggle  and  die.  Others 
are  gasping  for  life,  while  it  is  in  your  power  to  say 
unto  them,  "Live."  I  have  often  wondered  why  it  is 
that  wealthy  Christians,  in  wealthy  churches,  can  look 


A  Heathen  Temple  oat  of  Debt.  83 

with  such  composure  upon  the  struggles  of  their  bre- 
thren in  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  yet, 
either  give  them  no  aid,  or  only  such  aid  as  merely 
keeps  them  alive,  and  compels  them  to  drag  out  a 
miserable  existence.  By  a  single  word  they  could  in- 
fuse new  life  into  the  whole  congregation,  could  place 
the  church  free  from  all  embarrassment,  and  lift  up  the 
downcast  spirit  of  the  minister  of  Christ;  but  they  do 
it  not.  Is  it  because  they  wish  to  glory  in  the  fact  that 
they  are  "  rich  and  increased  in  goods,  and  have  need 
of  nothing  ?"  Is  it  that  they  may  compel  their  Chris- 
tian brethren  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  through 
great  tribulation?  What  gratification  can  they  have 
in  seeing  a  Christian  church  groaning  under  a  church 
debt,  and  struggling  for  existence,  when  they  might  so 
easily  make  them  powerfully  instrumental  in  doing 
good,  and  in  making  inroads  upon  the  kingdom  of 
darkness?  I  really  am  at  a  loss  to  know  why  it  is 
that  Christians,  and  especially  Christian  ladies  who 
are  wealthy,  have  overlooked  this  great  and  import- 
ant duty  of  delivering  the  churches  of  their  Lord  from 
debt.  For  wealthy  Christians  in  a  wealthy  church  to 
be  in  debt  for  the  house  of  their  God,  it  is  a  deep  dis- 
grace. They  may  make  all  the  apologies  they  choose 
for  the  sin,  but  they  cannot  throw  off  the  reproach,  nor 
can  they  convince  the  world  that  there  is  any  other 
cause  for  the  continuance  of  the  curse  than  the  cove- 
tousness  of  the  people  or  lack  of  piety. 

Now,  Christian  ladies,  let  me  ask  you,  what  better 
disposal  can  you  make  of  your  Lord's  money  than  to 
redeem  his  house  from  the  bondage  of  a  crushing 
debt?  This  will  be  a  conquest  worthy  of  your  efforts. 
You  will  win,  not  one  heart,  but  many.  It  will  be 
honorable.  It  will  bring  glory  to  God,  and  will  result 
in  the  salvation  of  many  souls. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Kincaid,  missionary  in  Burmah,  in 
speaking  of  the  great  temple  at  Ava,  says:  "This 
structure  is  200  feet  square,  the  walls  being  8  feet 
thick  and  70  high.  On  the  top  of  it  is  a  structure  150 
feet  square  and  50  feet  high  ;  on  this  a  third,  120  feot 


84  Church  Debts. 

square  and  30  feet  high ;  and  on  this  a  fourth,  75  feet 
square  and  10  feet  high,  from  the  top  of  which  ascends 
a  magnificent  spire.  From  the  top  of  this  spire,  and 
of  a  spire  ascending  from  each  of  the  four  corners  of 
each  of  the  four  structures  are  suspended  bells,  in  all 
two  hundred,  with  clappers  so  constructed  that  a  strong 
wind  keeps  them  ringing.  On  walking  along  by  this 
temple,  when  the  wind  is  strong,  and  all  these  bells  are 
ringing,  a  wonderful  sensation  is  produced,  as  though 
music  was  falling  all  around  from  the  clouds.  This 
temple  was  a  free-will  offering  from  the  heathen  to 
tjaeir  gods,  with  which  it  is  filled." 

I  might  make  many  reflections    on  this  fact,  but 
;hall  conclude  with  the  following  lines  on  seeing 

A  HEATHEN  TEMPLE  OUT  OF  DEBT. 

As  near  a  temple  once  I  stood, 

I  saw  a  mighty  multitude 

Of  heathen,  prostrate  on  the  ground, 

While  music  filled  the  air  around; 

Two  hundred  bells,  in  concert  met, 

Proclaimed,  "  This  temple's  out  of  debt." 

The  priests  arose  amidst  the  crowd  ; 
With  stentor  voice  they  shout  aloud, 
We've  cheered  the  heart  of  Gaudama, 
By  rearing  up  this  pagoda; 
The  bells  around,  with  wond'rous  glee, 
Ring  loud,  "  From  debt  this  house  is  free.* 

This  house  we  freely  dedicate 
To  all  the  gods,  both  small  and  great; 
The  people  rose,  and  upwards  went 
A  shout  which  e'en  the  heavens  rent: 
Great  Gaudama  !  we  give  to  thee 
This  costly  fane — from  debt  'tis  free. 

Again  they  bow'd,  and  shouted  loud — 
One  joyous  feeling  filled  the  crowd  ; 
In  exultation  loud  they  sing, 
And  yield  their  hearts  an  offering : 


A  Heathen  Temple  out  of  Debt.  85 

Hail  Gaudama!     Still  glorious  be; 
Dwell  in  thy  house  !     From  debt  'tis  free. 

A  Christian  church  I  entered  then — 
Within  were  women,  children,  men; 
A  deep-toned  organ  sounded  loud, 
To  gratify  the  well-dressed  crowd; 
But  now  and  then  'twas  heard  to  say, 
I  am  in  debt,  and  should  not  play. 

The  organist  the  keys  did  fret, 

But  still  it  said,  "  I  am  in  debt." 

The  thund'ring  bass,  the  sharp  falsette, 

Repeat  the  sound,  "  I  am  in  debt." 

And  Echo  did  all  else  forget — 

iShe  cried  aloud,  "  In  debt — in  debt." 

The  pastor  preached,  and  prayed,  and  wept — 

The  people  thoughtless  heard  or  slept; 

The  cause  of  this  now  understand: 

Upon  the  wall  I  saw  a  hand, 

Of  awful  form,  write  "  I-cha-bod — 

A  debt  is  on  this  house  of  God." 

Just  o'er  his  head,  where  all  could  see, 
The  hand  records,  "  Ye  have  robbed  me; 
Your  vain  oblations  I  despise, 
They're  despicable  in  mine  eyes  ; 
In  vain  ye  have  together  met, 
While  still  my  house  remains  in  debt." 

The  preacher  cried,  Awake  !  awake  ! 
Your  pride  and  worldliuess  forsake; 
Your  God  reproach  and  rob  no  more, 
His  free  forgiveness  now  implore. 
Repent ; — His  house  redeem  from  debt ; 
Echo,  responding,  says,  "  from  debt." 

I  turned  and  wept,  in  deep  distress, 
To  see  the  church's  wTorldliness. 
Lord!  in  thy  churches  can  it  be 
There  is  so  little  piety '? 


•80  Church  Debts. 

Thy  people,  covetous,  forget 

Their  vows,  and  leave  thy  house  in  debt! 

Why  weepest  thou  ?  a  heathen  said  ; 
Are  all  thy  friends  and  kindred  dead  ? 
Ah!  no;  the  Church  through  gold  is  curs'd. 
He  said,  "Of  sinners  you're  the  worst; 
We're  not  as  bad  as  Christians  yet; 
Our  gods  have  temples  out  of  debt." 

Yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church  debts. 

W.  R. 


LETTER  XVII. 


I  will  now  turn  your  attention  to  the  second  plan 
already  suggested,  for  the  purpose  of  liquidating  the 
debts  upon  the  churches.  The  plan  is  very  simple. 
It  is  this:  Let  the  strong  help  the  weak.  Let  some  of 
those  Christians  who  are  not  needed  to  sustain  the 
cause  of  God  in  the  wealthier  churches,  leave  them, 
and  go  and  aid  their  brethren  in  the  feebler  churches. 
In  this  way  they  will  help  to  bear  each  other's  bur- 
dens, and  so  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ. 

I  will  illustrate  my  meaning  by  a  case  which  is  wor- 
thy of  being  recorded.  There  are,  I  trust,  many  like 
it.  May  there  be  many  more!  It  is  this:  In  con- 
versing with  Mr.  K.,  a  worthy  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  the  following  conversation  took  place: 

I.  Where  now  do  you  attend  church? 

K.  I  attend  the  Wharton  St.  Church. 

I.  When  did  you  go  there  1 

K.  1  will  tell  you.  You  know  we  built  a  church 
there  some  time  ago.  We  had  a  very  good  minister; 
but,  as  the  population  was  very  much  scattered,  and 
there  were  but  few  members,  the  church  did  not  pros- 
per.   It  was  then  proposed  that  a  number  of  members 


The  Proper  Feeling,  87 

from  the  city  churches  should  go  and  aid  them.  About 
two  hundred  of  us  volunteered  to  go.  Some  go  as  far 
as  two  miles  or  more,  every  Sabbath  and  through  the 
week.  I  have  been  there  about  two  years.  Our 
coming  inspired  the  minister  and  the  people  with  new 
zeal.  We  went  to  work,  and  we  have  now  a  mem- 
bership of  about  six  hundred. 

I.  Well,  my  friend,  you  adopted  the  right  plan  ;  and 
if  other  weak  churches  could  be  aided  in  the  same  way, 
they  might  prosper  too. 

K.  No  doubt  of  it.  Feeble  churches  need  something 
else  besides  money. 

I.  I  suppose  you  are  not  sorry  that  you  have  left 
your  old  church,  to  labor  there  ? 

K.  No,  sir.  We  have  seen  some  precious  times 
there.  But,  as  they  are  pretty  strong  now,  some  of 
us  are  drawing  off,  with  the  intention  of  aiding  some 
other  feeble  church. 

I.  Go  on  in  your  good  work,  my  brother,  and  may 
the  Lord  prosper  you  ! 

We  shook  hands,  and  parted. 

Now,  something  like  this  might  be  done,  with  the 
greatest  ease  imaginable,  for  every  feeble  church. 
Yea,  more,  it  ought  to  be  done ;  and  then  the  word  of 
God  would  have  free  course,  and  be  glorified.  But 
will  Christians  do  so  ?  Probably  not.  But  the  time 
will  come,  when  God  shall  raise  up  another  generation 
of  Christians,  who  will  possess  a  different  spirit.  "  The 
inhabitants  of  one  city  shall  go  to  another,  saying,  Let 
us  go  speedily  to  pray  before  the  Lord,  and  to  seek  the 
Lord  of  Hosts.  I  also  will  go."  They  will  not  only 
go  to  different  parts  of  the  same  city,  to  excite  their 
brethren  to  praise  God,  but  they  will  go  to  different 
cities.  Ah  !  says  one,  that  is  all  prophecy.  That  is  a 
future  event.  When  that  time  comes,  then  we'll  do 
better.  We  cannot  expect  things  to  be  much  better 
now.  But  is  it  not  just  as  much  the  duty  of  Christians 
now  to  excite  each  other  to  love  and  good  works,  as 
ever  it  can  be?  I  certainly  think  so.  Why,  then,  do 
they  not  do  it? 


88  Church  Debts. 

The  feeling  of  many  Christians  on  this  subject  re- 
minds me  of  a  conversation  I  once  had  with  my  for- 
mer teacher,  Sukha-Ram,  an  intelligent  Brahmun,  on 
the  subject  of  the  downfall  of  Hindooism.  It  was  in 
the  year  1832.  I  observed  to  him,  that  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  would  ere  long  supplant  that  of  Boodh,  of 
Krishnu,  of  Mahmood,  &c^  He  replied,  "  1  believe  it. 
It  is  written  in  the  Shastru,  that  in  about  forty  years 
from  this  time  (1870)  the  Hindoo  religion  will  be  de- 
stroyed ;  and  1  think  that  Christianity  will  do  it." 
"  Well,"  said  I,  "  if  that  be  so,  you  had  better  take  the 
lead  of  your  countrymen,  and  give  up  Hindooism,  and 
embrace  Christianity."  "  No,  no,"  said  lie;  "  our  re- 
ligion must  exist  till  that  time,  and  I  must  try  to  hold 
it  up  till  then.  When  it  is  God's  wish  to  let  it  go  down, 
then  I  am  willing  to  give  it  up,  and  embrace  something 
else." 

A  great  many  Christians  are  fond  of  talking  about 
the  Millennium,  and  the  future  glory  of  the  church — 
of  the  happy  times  that  will  then  be,  and  how  they 
would  rejoice  to  live  then,  and  be  engaged  in  serving 
God;  while  they  are  doing  nothing,  comparatively 
speaking,  to  hasten  that  day  they  so  much  desire. 
But  these  persons  mistake  their  feelings.  There  is 
more  of  Hindooism  than  Christianity  in  such  a  spirit. 
Sukha-Ram  had  no  objection  to  become  a  Christian, 
or  anything  else,  after  the  temple  of  Hindooism  should 
fall;  but  while  it  would  stand,  his  shoulder  must  lend 
its  strength  to  keep  it  up.  So  with  these  professing 
Christians.  They  are  perfectly  willing  (at  least,  in 
words)  to  help  on  the  cause  of  God  in  the  Millennium, 
for  then  all  things  will  go  on  smoothly;  but  for  the 
present,  they  prefer  to  float  on  the  current  of  worldly 
feeling,  and  wait  patiently  for  a  better  state  of  things. 
I  have  long  since  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  those 
persons  who  talk  so  much  about  doing  good  at  a  future 
time,  and  are  always  ready  to  take  offence  at  the  pre- 
sent plans  of  doing  good,  and  therefore  stand  aloof 
from  them,  are  either  greatly  deceived,  or  else  very 
great  hypocrites.     The  word  of  God  settles  the  mat- 


Rich  and  Poor  Churches.  89 

ter  for  ever,  that  the  man  who  will  not  employ,  at  the 
present  time,  the  talent  his  Lord  has  given  him,  is  an 
unprofitable  servant,  and  will  be  justly  condemned  for 
his  wicked  neglect  of  duty. 

There  are  many  weak  churches  now  in  our  country. 
They  have  been  brought  into  existence  by  the  advice 
and  aid  of  the  older  and  the  wealthier  churches.  They 
have  acquired  a  certain  amount  of  strength,  but  they 
have  not  that  amount  of  strength  which  is  needful  for 
them  to  sustain  themselves,  and  to  make  them  efficient 
instruments  for  doing  great  good  in  the  world.  And 
there  they  are  destined  to  remain,  till  they  kill  them- 
selves by  over  exertion,  or  die  in  despair.  The  stronger 
churches  look  on,  and  say,  "Live,"  and  very  piously 
pray,  "  The  Lord  help  you — but  we  won't." 

Such  conduct  reminds  me  of  a  fact  which  I  will 
here  relate.  A  Mr.  B.,  of  this  city,  had  a  fine  little 
boy,  of  about  four  years  of  age.  He  appeared  to  be 
the  pride  of  both  father  and  mother.  He  always  was 
neatly  and  tidily  dressed.  He  was  a  little  gentleman. 
He  was  furnished  with  a  cane  and  dumb  watch.  In 
short,  he  was  quite  a  dandy.  I  have  often  seen  him 
strut  alongside  of  his  father,  as  if  there  was  not  a  par- 
ticle of  the  child  about  him.  But  the  high  curb-stones 
were  sad  things  in  his  manly  path.  When  crossing 
the  street,  he  would  for  a  moment  forget  his  manly 
airs,  and,  child-like,  get  up  as  well  as  he  could.  His 
father,  seeing  this,  would  pull  him  back,  and  make  him 
"  step  up  like  a  man."  If  he  appeared  like  failing,  a 
little  external  stimulus  would  often  make  him  perform 
the  deed.  This  little  gentleman,  after  all,  was  only  a 
child.  One  day,  in  making  an  attempt  to  "step  up  on 
the  curb-stone  like  a  man,"  he  sprained  his  back,  and 
was  a  cripple  for  life.  My  heart  has  been  pained  to 
see  the  dear  boy  lying  on  the  floor,  unable  even  to  sit 
up;  and  all  through  the  hateful  pride  of  a  parent,  who 
put  a  heavier  load  on  the  child  than  his  age  could  bear. 
He  died  after  a  few  years  of  suffering. 

Some  of  the  wealthy  churches  in  our  land  are  just  as 
merciful.    They  have  more  men  and  money  than  they 
8 


90  Church  Debts. 

know  what  to  do  with.  And  in  their  self-complacency, 
they  behold  their  brethren,  who  are  laboring  beyond 
their  strength  to  sustain  the  cause  of  God,  and  yet  give 
them  not  the  aid  they  need.  Or,  if  they  do,  it  is  only  to 
keep  them  in  such  a  position,  that  it  is  as  impossible 
for  them  to  rise  above  it  as  it  is  for  a  Shoodroo  to  sun- 
der the  bonds  of  caste,  and  enter  the  ranks  of  the  Brah- 
muns.  There  is  a  reason  for  this  unnatural  apathy  on 
the  part  of  some  in  the  church  towards  their  brethren. 
To  point  out  the  cause  of  this  apathy,  and  to  rebuke 
this  foul  spirit,  shall  be  my  object  in  my  next  letter. 
In  the  meantime,  I  would  ask  all  the  members  of  the 
churches  who  may  read  this  letter  one  or  two  ques- 
tions.    And, 

1.  What  are  you  doing  in  the  church  to  which  you 
belong? 

2.  Could  not  that  church  prosper  just  as  well  without 
you,  as  with  you? 

3.  If  so,  then  are  you  not  bound,  as  an  honest  man 
and  a  Christian,  to  go  where  you  can  do  some  good, 
and  be  of  some  use  in  the  church  of  Christ? 

4.  Are  you  willing  to  stay  where  you  are,  and  be  a 
cypher  in  the  church,  while  you  might  elsewhere  be 
the  means  of  saving  many  souls  ? 

What  does  conscience  say? 

I  am,  as  ever,  yours  in  the  war  against  church 
debts.  W.  R. 


LETTER  XVIII. 


The  plan  proposed  for  liquidating  the  debts  upon 
the  churches  is,  for  some  to  leave  their  churches, 
where  their  aid  is  not  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
church,  and  to  unite  with  their  brethren  in  some  fee- 
bler church,  where  their  aid  is  needed,  and  where  their 
influence  can  be  felt.  This  plan  could  easily  be  adopted 
in  this  city,  and  with  decided  advantage.     But,  will  it 


A  Plan  Proposed,  91 

be  done?  I  doubt  it.  It  certainly  will  not  be  done, 
unless  the  churches  repent  of  their  great  sin  in  this 
matter.  How  much  more  time  they  need  to  repent, 
I  cannot  tell.  A  worthy  friend  has  suggested  to  me 
that  I  should  pause,  and  give  the  churches  time  to 
think  on  the  subject.  I  will  give  them  time  to  bring 
forth  fruit  meet  for  repentance.  But  this,  surely,  need 
not  hinder  me  from  pursuing  this  subject,  or  from  en- 
couraging them  in  their  duty.  A  young  man,  on  his 
way  to  Northumberland,  in  this  State,  sometime  ago, 
saw  some  cherry-trees  by  the  wayside,  laden  with 
fruit.  Just  as  he  was  about  to  take  some  of  the  fruit, 
a  woman  appeared.  When  she  came  to  the  fence, 
the  young  man  said,  "  Madam,  can  I  have  some  of 
these  cherries  to  eat?"  She  replied,  "  I  don't  know 
about  that."  "Oh!  well,"  said  he,  "I'll  just  eat  on 
until  you  can  make  up  your  mind  on  the  subject." 
He  did  so ;  and  after  he  was  done,  he  said  to  her 
again,  "  Madam,  can  I  have  some  cherries?"  She 
crossly  replied,  "  No,  sir."  "Thank  you,  madam," 
said  he,  "and  now  I'll  go."  Now,  while  the  church  is 
making  up  her  mind  whether  she  will  repent  or  not, 
I  will  help  her  in  the  matter,  by  suggesting  a  few 
thoughts  for  her  encouragement.  I'll  go  on,  while 
she  thinks  about  it. 

I  have  said  that  I  doubt  whether  the  churches  will 
adopt  this  plan  or  not.  My  reason  is,  that  the  churches 
seem  unwilling  to  do  their  duty  in  this  matter  unless 
driven  to  it.  To  give  you  my  meaning,  I  would  ask 
you,  how  many  churches  in  this  city,  for  example, 
have  been  built  through  simple  love  to  God,  and 
through  an  ardent  desire  to  promote  His  glory  alone? 
Again,  how  many  have  been  built,  because  the  mem- 
bers in  the  old  church  fell  out  with  the  minister,  or 
with  one  another,  and  therefore  determined  to  go  and 
worship  by  themselves?  Again,  how  many  have  been 
built,  because  a  few  desired  a  handsomer  church  than 
the  old  one?  It  would  seem  that,  in  most  cases,  some- 
thing besides  the  love  of  God  constrains  Christians  to 
build  churches.     If  the  love  of  God  alone  had  prompt- 


92  Church  Debts. 

ed  them  to  build  churches,  the  same  love  would  have 
compelled  them  to  pay  for  them.    So  I  judge. 

But  Christians  have  always  needed  something  to 
push  them  forward  in  duty.  The  primitive  Christians 
were  no  doubt,  very  happy  while  they  were  all  cooped 
up  in  Jerusalem,  and  could  every  Sabbath  attend 
church,  and  hear  a  good  sermon  1'rom  James  or  one 
of  the  apostles.  They  began  to  feel,  perhaps,  that  one 
part  of  religion  consisted  in  hearing  sermons,  and  the 
other  in  praising  or  condemning  them,  which  appears 
to  be  the  religion  of  not  a  few  in  our  days.  But  God 
did  not  bring  them  into  the  church  merely  that  they 
might  be  fed.  He  converted  them  that  they  might  do 
something  for  His  glory.  They  were  not,  however, 
going  to  leave  their  good  preachers  and  their  good 
meetings  to  go  out  and  labor  among  the  ignorant  and 
degraded.  Not  they.  They  felt  too  comfortable  to 
make  any  change,  though  they  were  doing  little  or  no 
good  where  they  were,  and  might  do  much  elsewhere. 
Seeing  this  wrong  feeling  in  the  church,  the  Lord  soon 
corrected  it.  He  allowed  persecution  to  arise  against 
the  church  at  Jerusalem,  and  soon  "they  were  scattered 
abroad,  and  went  everywhere  preaching  the  word." 
God  is  determined  that  his  people  shall  be  as  salt  scat- 
tered abroad  in  the  earth.  If  they  will  not  go  wil- 
lingly, he  will  find  means  to  make  them  go  and  do 
their  duty. 

Now,  it  is  ihe  same  spirit  of  apathy  in  our  days, 
mixed  with  a  good  deal  of  pride  and  worldliness,  that 
leads  many  church  members  to  crowd  into  and  stay 
in  churches  where  they  must  know  they  can  do  no 
good  in  promoting  the  glory  of  God.  A  question  here 
may  be  asked,  why  do  they  stay?  I  answer,  it  is 
not, 

1st.  Because  the  gospel  is  preached  nowhere  else, 
and  hence  they  stay  there  for  the  purpose  of  hearing 
it. 

2d.  Nor  is  it  because  the  gospel  is  preached  better 
in  their  churches  than  anywhere  else.  If  we  are  to 
judge  from  the  number  of  sound  conversions  which 


Why  are  Idlers  in  the  Church  ?  93 

take  place  in  a  church,  whether  the  gospel  is  preached 
in  its  purity  or  not,  we  must  come  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  gospel  is  preached  in  the  weaker  and  poorer 
churches,  as  well  as  in  the  stronger  and  richer  ones. 

3d.  Nor  can  it  be  because  they  are  needed  in  their 
own  churches  to  carry  forward  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
So  far  from  this  being  the  case,  the  minister  would  be 
just  as  well  supported  without  them  as  with  them.  The 
prayer  meetings  and  the  Sabbath  school  could  and  do 
move  on  without  them.  They  are,  in  fact,  of  little 
use,  except  to  swell  the  number  of  hearers,  and  to  add 
to  the  respectability  of  the  appearance  of  the  congre- 
gation. That,  however,  is  a  very  important  item  in 
the  opinion  of  some.  These  brethren  are  almost  cy- 
phers in  the  church.  This  does  not  arise  from  the 
fact  that  they  are,  in  themselves,  good  for  nothing. 
On  the  contrary,  they  may  be  very  good,  and  we  pre- 
sume they  are;  but  they  are  out  of  their  place.  There 
is  either  no  room  for  them  to  work,  or  else  there  are 
others  in  the  church  who  do  it  all,  and  leave  nothing 
for  them  to  do  but  to  look  on,  and  praise  the  work 
done,  or  else  find  fault  with  it.  A  wheel  is  a  very  es- 
sential part  of  a  wagon,  but  is  of  no  use  if  out  of  its 
place.  It  may  be  a  good,  or  a  good-for-nothing  wheel, 
according  to  the  place  it  occupies.  So  it  is  with  many 
church  members.  They  forget  the  command,  "  To  do 
good  and  communicate,  forget  not;  for  with  such  sac- 
rifices God  is  well  pleased."  And  being  out  of  their 
place,  they  are  good  for  nothing. 

The  question  still  arises,  why  is  it  that  so  many 
Christians  feel  disposed  to  crowd  into  the  large  and 
wealthy  churches,  and  stay  in  them,  while  they  must 
feel  that  they  are  of  very  little  use  there,  and  might 
be  of  use  elsewhere  1  I  answer,  there  are  many  rea- 
sons: 

And,  1st,  family  pride. 

I  will  mention  to  you  a  fact,  while  I  conceal  the 
names,  and  you  can  give  the  proper  name  to  the  feel- 
ing, if  I  have  mistaken  it.  A  Mr.  A.  B.  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  congregation  C.  in  this  city.  After  some 
8* 


04  Church  Debts. 

time  he  left  it,  and  united  himself,  with  bis  family,  to 
another  church  of  the  same  denomination,  which  con- 
tained a  larger  number  of  members,  and  a  wealthier 
class  of  people.  Being  asked  one  day  by  a  friend 
why  he  left  a  church  where  his  influence  was  felt,  to 
go  into  one  where  he  could  do  no  good,  and  where  he 
must  be  a  perfect  cypher?  He  replied  :  M  I  know  it 
is  so ;  but,  then;  that  poor  church  is  a  miserable  place 
for  a  man  to  get  his  daughters  married  off!'' 

Now,  look  at  this  man's  conduct  for  a  moment.  He 
connects  himself  with  a  church  where  there  is  a  pros- 
pect of  his  doing  some  good.  He  professes  to  be  ac- 
tuated in  this  matter  through  love  to  God  alone.  The 
Lord  gives  him  a  family.  These  he  professedly  dedi- 
cates to  God,  and  solemnly  promises  to  train  them  up 
for  the  service  of  God.  His  family  grow  up  around 
him,  and  he  begins  to  feel  concerned  for  their  settle- 
ment in  life.  And  now  what  shall  be  done?  He  has 
a  lovely  daughter  or  two.  The  seal  of  God's  cove- 
nant is  on  them  ;  they  are  His.  The  father,  however, 
begins  to  doubt  the  faithfulness  of  God.  He  is  not 
willing,  now,  to  stay  where  he  can  do  good,  and  labor 
for  the  glory  of  that  God  who  has  given  him  these 
lovely  daughters,  and  has  preserved  them  in  health  til) 
the  present  time.  He  cannot  trust  God  to  order  their 
lot  well  in  after  life.  Satan  shows  him  the  kingdoms 
of  this  world,  and  the  glory  of  them,  and  his  heart  is 
captivated  by  the  phantom.  His  purpose  is  now  fixed: 
"  I'll  leave  this  church.  The  people  are  pious;  but 
they  are  not  wealthy.  I'll  unite  with  another  church, 
where  there  is  more  wealth.  Then  I  can  introduce 
my  family.  My  daughters  can  form  alliances  which 
will  enable  them  to  live,  if  not  in  affluence,  certainly 
at  ease  and  in  plenty,  for  life."  The  deed  is  done.  The 
man  is  received  by  the  minister  and  elders,  who  hold 
out  to  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  who  trust 
that  he  will  be  a  helper  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord. 
But,  oh !  how  sadly  are  they  mistaken.  They  have 
taken  an  Achan  into  the  camp,  and  instead  of  being  a 
blessing,  he  is  a  curse  to  them.    He  does  no  good,  for 


The  Love  of  Gain,  95 

that  is  not  his  aim.  He  keeps  up  the  forms  of  godli- 
ness, but  his  object  is  to  sacrifice  these  devoted  daugh- 
ters upon  the  altar  of  Mammon.  He  consults  not  for 
the  spiritual  good  of  his  children.  Whether  they  shall 
be  saved  or  lost,  is  now  a  secondary  consideration. 
The  grand  idea  is  to  exalt  the  family  by  an  alliance 
with  wealth.  Let  us  suppose  it  is  done;  and  what 
now  ?  The  pride  of  the  family  is  gratified  ;  but  the 
child  is  sacrificed  through  the  "  cursed  love  of  gold." 
The  father  has  thrown  a  barrier  in  the  way  of  his 
child's  salvation  that  may  never  be  removed.  He  has 
been  deceived  through  the  deceitfulness  of  riches. 
The  death-bed  scene  of  such  a  man  is  not  to  be 
desired. 

Let  me  here  say  to  all  those  who  are  in  danger  of 
being  thus  tempted,  Beware  of  what  you  do.  Have 
compassion  on  the  souls  of  your  children.  Grace  is 
better  than  gold.  If  God,  in  his  providence,  should 
make  you  the  steward  of  much  of  his  goods,  he  can 
bless  you  in  the  use  of  them.  But  if  you  forsake  the 
path  of  duty,  and  the  place  where  you  can  do  good, 
for  the  sake  of  worldly  gain  or  family  pride,  you  will 
grieve  the  Spirit  of  God,  you  will  injure  your  own  soul, 
and  will  be  a  hindrance  to  the  spirituality  of  the  church 
with  which  you  may  be  connected.  I  pray  you,  do 
not  so  wickedly. 

Yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church  debts. 

VV.  R. 


LETTER  XIX. 

A  second  reason  why  some  professing  Christians 
crowd  into  churches  where  they  know  thev  can  do  but 
little,  if  any,  good,  is  for  the  sake  of  gain. 

I  met  a  gentleman  some  time  ago,  and  asked  him 
how  the  work  of  the  Lord  prospered  in  the  church  of 


96  Church  Debts. 

which  I  supposed  he  was  still  a  member.  He  replied, 
'*  I  do  not  know.  1  have  left  that  church,  and  have 
joined  another."  "  Why  have  you  done  so?"  He  said, 
"  It  suits  my  business  better." 

I  would  here  remark  that  he  was  doing,  what  the 
world  calls,  a  very  good  business.  He  was  support- 
ing his  family  well,  and  was  laying  up  money,  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  considerable  property.  There  was 
no  necessity  in  the  case  for  such  a  move.  By  remov- 
ing from  one  church  to  another,  he  did  not  change  the 
place  of  his  store.  But  his  hope  was,  that  by  coming 
in  contact  with  a  certain  class  of  men  in  the  church, 
who  had  wealth,  he  might  so  far  gain  their  confidence 
as  to  make  more  money  by  the  acquaintance.  Keep- 
ing this  in  view,  he  gets  a  certificate  of  dismission 
from  the  pastor  of  one  church,  and  is  recommended 
to  the  pastor  of  another  as  a  brother  in  good  and  re- 
gular standing.  He  is  received.  That  church  re- 
joices in  the  addition  of  another  member,  and  perhaps 
boasts  of  their  gain,  while  the  church  he  has  left 
mourns  over  its  loss.  If  they  knew,  however,  the  real 
motives  of  the  man  for  the  change  he  has  made,  their 
feelings  would  be  the  very  reverse. 

I  mention  this  case,  not  because  I  suppose  the  thing  is 
of  rare  occurrence,  but  the  contrary.  Calvin  said,  in  his 
day,  that  "on  all  hands  there  is  an  abundance  of  osten- 
tatious ceremonies,  but  sincerity  of  heart  is  rare."  I  fear 
that  the  remark  will  apply  with  equal  force  to  our  times. 
If  the  case  referred  to  above  be  a  specimen  of  the 
feeling  found  in  the  churches,  we  need  not  be  surprised 
at  the  low  state  of  piety,  and  the  consequent  heavy 
debts  which  are  upon  the  houses  professedly  dedicated 
to  God.  There  is  an  amount  of  hypocrisy  exhibited, 
and  of  deception  played  off  on  Church  Sessions  and 
on  churches,  which  deserve  the  severest  rebuke.  Look 
at  the  matter:  this  man  applies  to  his  pastor  for  a  cer- 
tificate of  dismission,  to  connect  himself  with  some 
other  church.  He  must  give  a  reason  for  his  request, 
unless  he  act  like  some  church  members,  who  slough 
off,  (as  the  physicians  would  say,)  or  who  go  off,  in 


Why  some  are  in  the  Church.  97 

direct  violation  of  their  church  engagements,  without 
any  regular  dismission,  and  are  thus  received  by  other 
churches.  In  giving  his  reasons,  he  must,  of  course, 
conceal  the  true  reason,  and  leave  the  impression  that 
there  is  a  prospect,  where  he  is  going,  of  his  doing  or 
receiving  more  good.  He  is  dismissed,  and  recom- 
mended to  a  sister  church.  The  session  of  that  church 
receive  him ;  he  is  welcomed  as  a  brother.  He  at- 
tends the  house  of  God,  engages  in  the  duties  that  may 
devolve  on  him;  and  while  all  around  suppose  he  is 
actuated  by  love  to  God,  he  is  actuated  by  selfishness, 
and  is  deceiving  his  fellow  members.  His  constant 
aim  is  to  increase  his  worldly  business.  His  connec- 
tion with  the  church  is  only  a  means  to  attain  that 
end.  Covetousness  has  now  taken  hold  of  his  heart, 
and  he  has  left  a  place  where  he  might  have  done 
good,  to  be  a  curse  to  those  where  he  has  gone  by  the 
exhibition  of  a  worldly  spirit.  But  "it  suits  his  busi- 
ness," and  hence  he  is  there. 

This  spirit  manifests  itself  in  another  way.  Some 
church  members  act  upon  Franklin's  advice,  when  he 
said,  "a  penny  saved  is  a  penny  made;"  and  hence 
they  crowd  into  large  and  wealthy  churches,  where 
their  aid  is  not  needed,  and  save  money  by  the  opera- 
tion. To  make  this  matter  plain,  I  will  take  a  case 
that  is  not  a  fancy  sketch.  Mr.  Aliquis  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  church  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  doing 
good.  The  Lord  had  bestowed  on  him  some  wealth, 
and  he  was  often  called  upon,  as  a  steward,  to  use  it 
for  His  glory.  He  ultimately  began  to  feel  that  the 
money  he  held  in  his  hands  was  his  own,  and  not  his 
Lord's.  And  although  he  had  enough,  and  more  than 
enough,  for  his  family,  besides  what  he  gave  to  the 
cause  of  benevolence,  he  determined  to  unite  with  a 
wealthy  church,  with  the  hope  that  he  would  be  called 
upon  less  frequently  to  aid  the  cause  of  his  Redeemer, 
than  he  was  in  his  present  situation.  He  did  so  ;  and 
now  he  gives  a  small  amount,  just  enough  to  keep  up 
his  standing  in  the  church,  and  the  rest  he  hoards  up 
for  heirs,  he  knows  not  who.     The  church  he  has  left 


98  Church  Debts. 

feels  the  loss  of  his  contributions,  while  the  church 
where  he  is  now  does  not  need  his  aid.  He  is  a  cy- 
pher in  the  church  of  God.  It  is  true,  he  has  the 
glory  of  being  in  connection  with  a  church  where  the 
cause  moves  on,  but  no  thanks  to  him.  He  receives 
glory  from  man,  but  none  from  God.  He  is  increas- 
ing in  riches;  but  Solomon  says,  "there  is  a  sore  evil 
"which  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  viz.:  riches  kept  for 
the  owners  thereof,  to  their  hurt,"  and  he  may  find  it 
true  in  his  case. 

In  conversing  with  a  worthy  man,  who  was  doing 
some  good  in  his  own  church,  but  was  not  essential 
to  its  prosperity,  and  who  might  do  a  great  deal  more 
elsewhere,  I  said,  Why  do  you  not,  for  the  sake  of 
your  Redeemer,  go  to  such  a  church,  where  your  in- 
fluence will  be  felt  far  and  wide,  and  where  you  may 
do  infinitely  more  good  than  where  you  now  are  1  He 
replied,  "I  have  often  thought  of  it,  but  my  wife  will 
not  go."  He  gave  his  reasons  for  it,  and  they  all 
amounted  to  this — she  would  be  among  a  different 
class  of  people.  But  suppose  they  are  not  so  rich  or  so 
refined  as  some  others,  are  not  their  souls  equally  va- 
luable, and  is  there  not  a  prospect  of  your  doing  far 
more  good  there,  and  of  your  obtaining  a  brighter 
crown  of  glory  ?  "  That  is  true,"  said  he  ;  "  but  still 
it  is  so,  and  you  cannot  control  the  feelings  of  women 
in  these  matters."  1  gave  him  to  understand  that  I 
thought  he  was  acting  like  Adam  in  blaming  Eve.  He 
was  a  greater  sinner  than  his  wife. 

I  need  not  dwell  upon  this  subject  any  longer;  but 
I  would  ask,  has  it  come  to  this,  that  church  members 
are  to  consult  their  own  ease,  in  preference  to  the 
glory  of  God,  and  yet  maintain  their  standing  in  the 
church  1  If  it  be  so,  who  is  to  blame  for  this  state  of 
things?  A  brother  in  the  ministry  has  written  me  a 
letter,  in  which  he  expresses  the  opinion,  that  the  sin, 
in  this  matter,  does  not  lie  at  the  door  of  the  church 
members  alone.    He  shall  speak  for  himself.    He  says: 

"  Brother  R.,  this  worldly  spirit  (of  which  you  speak) 
is  not  confined  to  laymen.     Some  '  teachers  in  Israel/ 


A  Chapel-oJ -ease  for  Ex-Elders.  99 

who  ought  to  know  better,  and  talk  better,  are  strongly- 
tinctured  with  it.  In  their  estimation,  churches  not 
strong  in  lucre  are  worse  than  useless  appendages  to 
Presbyteries,  and  are  regarded  in  the  light  of  *  poor 
relations,'  It  has  been  more  than  once  intimated,  with 
a  smile,  that  they  had  better  form  alliances  elsewhere, 
with  such  denominations  as  operate  principally  among 
the  *  humble  classes' of  society.  With  such  men,  it 
matters  not  what  may  be  the  spiritual  wants  of  a 
neighborhood,  or  the  prayers  and  piety  of  a  weak 
church  located  therein,  or  the  number  of  the  souls  of 
the  poor  converted  there;  if  said  church  has  not 
enough  money,  and  some  to  spare,  it  is  deemed  an 
unprofitable  concern,  and  had  better  die  than  live.  I 
speak  what  I  know  when  I  say,  that  there  are  those 
who  feel  but  littie  interest  for  a  weak  church,  whose 
sole  recommendation  is  the  conversion  and  edification 
of  poor  men. 

""Dear  brother,  in  writing  you  this,  I  am  not  influ- 
enced by  that  spirit  of  petty  envy  which  sometimes 
prejudices  the  poor  against  the  rich,  for,  personally,  I 
have  no  reason  to  complain  of  poverty;  but  it  is  evi- 
dently seen  a  worldly  policy,  a  sordid  feeling  are  pre- 
vailing among  some  men,  which  should  be  rebuked, 
because  contrarv  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. 

"  Yours,  &c,  C.  B." 

In  reference  to  this  letter,  I  would  say,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  an  aged  Quaker,  "  this  friend  speaks  my 
mind."  Yes,  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  the  evil  lies 
as  much,  if  not  more,  in  the  teachers  than  in  the  taught. 
If  the  church  members  were  made  to  understand  their 
duty  in  this  matter,  when  they  unite  with  the  church, 
they  would,  I  am  persuaded,  act  differently.  But  this 
do-nothing  spirit  in  church  members  is,  in  many  in- 
stances, encouraged  by  ministers.  Report  says,  and 
I  presume  it  is  true,  that  there  is  a  church  in  this  land 
where  may  be  found  some  fifteen  or  twenty  ex-elders, 
who  have  laid  aside  their  office  pro  tern.,  and  are 
crowded  together  as  mere  absorbents  of  the  word. 
When  Napoleon  opened  the  doors  of  a  certain  nun- 


100  Church  Debts. 

nery  in  Spain,  ho  turned  out  all  the  nuns,  saying  to 
them,  "  Begone,  you  jades,  and  spin."  Oh  !  that  some 
Napoleon  would  arise  in  the  church,  and  scourge  the 
slothful  into  activity,  or  else  drive  them  out  from  the 
temple  of  the  Lord,  for  they  do  more  harm  than  good, 
and  those  who  would  do  good  they  hinder. 

Well,  it  may  be  asked,  would  you  have  such  persons 
to  unite  with  feeble  churches?  By  no  means.  But 
we  would  have  ministers  raise  their  voice  of  warning 
against  such  drones  in  the  hive.  If  they  cannot  be 
converted,  and  be  led  to  do  good,  let  them  be  cut  off 
from  the  communion  of  the  church.  But  there  are 
some  who  would  work,  if  there  were  room  for  them, 
in  the  large  and  wealthy  churches.  Now  the  proper 
course  is  for  some  brethren  to  leave  those  churches, 
and  unite  with  those  that  are  feeble.  This  will  afford 
them  the  opportunity  of  doing  more  good,  and  it  will 
also  make  room  for  others  to  work,  who  would,  but 
cannot,  and  it  would  aid  the  feebler  churches  in  sus- 
taining themselves.  This  would  bring  Christian  cha- 
racter to  a  test,  and  we  should  then  soon  know  who 
is  on  the  Lord's  side,  and  who  is  not. 

Immediately  after  my  arrival  at  Bombay  with  my 
brethren,  the  Mission  held  a  meeting  to  decide  on 
some  plan  of  distribution.  It  was  thought  that  seven 
missionaries  were  too  many  for  that  city,  though  it 
contained  more  than200,000  people,  while  other  large 
towns  had  no  missionary.  Their  plan  was  to  be  united 
in  heart  and  aim,  but  not  in  place.  They  did  not  con- 
sult whether  or  not  "  the  society  of  the  Hindoos  was 
such  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to,"  or  whether  it 
would  "suit  their  worldly  business  better"  to  stay  in 
one  place  rather  than  another;  but  the  simple  question 
was,  how  can  we  dispose  of  ourselves  so  as  to  do  the 
most  good  among  the  heathen?  A  plan  was  adopted, 
and  the  mission  families  were  divided.  Now,  if  God 
requires  his  people  to  deny  themselves,  and  if  the 
church  expect  that  missionaries  and  their  families 
should  make  sacrifices  of  comfort,  of  wealth,  and  of 
refined  and  intellectual  society,  I  should  like  to  know 


Caste.  101 

where  so  many  professors  of  religion,  in  this  city  and 
elsewhere,  get  their  authority  for  crowding  into  large 
and  wealthy  churches,  to  sit  down  at  their  ease,  and 
do  nothing  for  God  or  the  salvation  of  men?  Are 
there  two  Bibles?  Are  there  two  rules  of  life?  Has 
God  given  some  of  his  people  a  kind  of  indulgence  to 
do  nothing  but  hear  the  word  of  life,  while  others  have 
to  bear  the  heat  and  the  burden  of  the  day  ?  Has  He 
allowed  some  to  please  themselves  in  all  things,  while 
others,  if  they  would  be  saved,  must  please  Him?  Are 
there  two  plans  of  salvation?  Is  self-denial  needful 
only  for  a  few,  while  others  can  hoard  up  their  wealth, 
and  enter  heaven  too  ?  If  God  has  given  some  of  his 
people  wealth  and  knowledge,  and  if  they  are  refined 
in  their  manners,  are  they  therefore  to  be  released 
from  working  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  ?  Alas ! 
alas!  that  Christians  should  imbibe  such  notions  of 
caste,  as  to  be,  in  fact,  practical  Hindoos  in  the  mat- 
ter of  laboring  personally  for  the  good  of  others.  The 
Saviour  was  in  good  society  in  heaven,  and  yet  he 
was  willing  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  and  to  labor  for 
the  good  of  the  poor  and  the  wretched  in  this  sinful 
world.  What  are  we,  that  we  should  pride  ourselves 
upon  our  refinement  or  birth,  and  refuse  to  labor  for 
God?  I  have  seen  the  haughty  Brahmun  turn  aside, 
Jest  the  shadow  of  a  Shoodroo  (a  man  of  low  caste) 
falling  on  him,  should  defile  him,  and  I  have  pitied  the 
deluded  heathen;  but  when  I  see  professing  Christians 
refuse  to  labor  for  God,  because  they  imagine  they 
have  more  sense  and  refinement  than  their  neighbors, 
and  when  they  refuse  to  contribute,  according  to  their 
ability,  to  redeem  the  houses  of  their  God,  which  their 
pride  has  built  at  a  useless  expense,  I  am  forced  to 
ask,  can  this  be  the  spirit  of  Christianity  ?  Can  such 
persons  possess  the  spirit  of  Christ  ?  Can  such  con- 
duct be  pleasing  to  God?  Can  such  persons  be  travel- 
ing the  narrow  way  to  heaven? 

Yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church  debts. 

W.  R. 


102  Church  Debts. 


LETTER  XX. 


A  third  reason  why  some  professing  Christians  re- 
fuse to  aid  feeble  churches,  in  their  efforts  to  advance 
the  cause  of  Christ,  is  the  fact  that  they  have  become 
"weary  in  well  doing,"  and  are  stricken  with  the  dis- 
ease of  "  itching  ears." 

I  met  a  Christian  man  in  the  street  one  day,  and 
after  the  usual  salutations,  the  following  conversation 
ensued  : 

How  does  the  work  of  the  Lord  prosper  in  your 
church  now? 

I  know  not ;  I  have  left  the  church. 

To  what  church  have  you  gone  ? 

To  Mr.  Blank's  church. 

Why  did  you  go  there  1  You  can  do  no  good  in 
that  church. 

I  have  not  gone  there  for  that  purpose.  I  have  been 
doing  good  for  many  years,  and  I  have  become  tired. 
I  want  to  get  some  now. 

I  fear  you  will  not  profit  much  by  the  change ;  for 
those  who  refuse  to  labor  for  God,  do  not  prosper  in 
spiritual  things. 

Well,  I  think  I  have  done  my  share  of  labor  in  fee- 
ble churches  ;  let  some  others  try  it.  I  mean  to  rest 
awhile. 

We  parted  with  a  mutual  good-bye. 

The  next  time  I  saw  this  man,  he  was  loud  in  his 
praises  of  the  sermons  of  his  new  minister.  1  lately 
heard  that  he  has  removed  to  another  church,  because 
it  suits  his  business  better. 

Take  another  specimen  of  a  similar  feeling. 

Good  morning,  Mr.  A.     You  are  just  the  man  who 

could  do   great  good  in  the church,  if  you 

would  go.  (The  field  was  spread  out  before  him,  and 
he  was  urged  to  engage  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.) 

Mr.  A.  I  acknowledge  that  there  is  a  prospect  of 
doing  more  good  there  than  where  I  am  ;  but  it  is  so 
far  from  my  dwelling.    I  live  in . 


Truth  will  out.  103 

True,  that  is  a  great  distance  for  a  Philadelphia!!  to 
go  to  church;  but  it  is  not  more  than  fifteen  minutes' 
walk,  and  you  walk  farther  than  that  every  morning 
to  your  counting-house. 

Mr.  A.  I  do  not  care  for  the  walk  for  myself;  but 
it  is  too  far  for  my  family.  My  children  could  not 
get  to  Sabbath  school  in  time,  and  my  wife's  health  is 
not  good.     It  would  be  too  far  for  her. 

As  to  her  health,  you  are  the  best  judge  of  that. 
But  don't  she  go  to  market,  and  also  a-shopping  occa- 
sionally'? 

Mr.  A.  Yes,  she  attends  to  these  matters. 

Then,  my  word  for  it,  she  walks  much  farther  than 
the  distance  I  speak  of.  When  ladies  go  a-shopping, 
a  few  squares  are  of  no  consequence  in  their  view.  As 
to  your  children,  the  distance  is  nothing  for  them  ;  they 
need  exercise.  Only  give  them  their  breakfast  early 
enough,  and  send  them  off,  and  they  will  be  at  school 
in  time.  You  would  lose  nothing  on  the  score  of 
preaching ;  and  then  the  joy  of  doing  something  for  the 
cause  of  Christ  would  more  than  compensate  you  for 
any  self-denial  exercised. 

Mr.  A.  The  gospel,  I  doubt  not,  is  preached  there; 
but  then  I  fear  Mrs.  A.  would  object  to  the  distance. 

Well,  if  she  could  not  go  always,  she  could  go  oc- 
casionally; and  her  self-denial,  in  this  respect,  would 
encourage  others  who  have  better  health  to  unite  with 
you  in  this  good  work.  And  as  a  good  wife,  she  would 
be  willing  to  aid  you  in  doing  more  good  in  the  church. 
I  think  she  would  go,  if  you  would  present  the  case  pro- 
perly before  her  mind.     What  do  you  think  1 

Mr.  A.  Perhaps  she  might.  But,  to  be  candid  with 
you,  the  people  there  are  not  such  as  I  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  associating  with.  And  I  do  not  wish  to 
go. 

Oh  !  now  I  understand  you ;  you  speak  plainly.  And 
(laying  my  hand  upon  his  shoulder)  all  I  have  to  say 
is  this,  if  the  Saviour  had  been  influenced  by  such  feel- 
ings, when  on  the  earth,  you  would  never  be  saved. 
Good  morning. 


104  Church  Debts. 

So  we  parted.  I  never  saw  this  professing  Chris- 
tian afterward,  to  speak  with  him,  but  I  watched  his 
course.  He  soon  after  {eft  his  church,  to  unite  with 
a  still  richer  one.  He  was  of  no  use  there.  He  grew 
dissatisfied,  and  removed  to  another  place,  where  he 
heard  preaching  less  frequently  than  formerly,  but 
where  it  suited  his  business  better.  As  to  the  good  he 
did  in  advancing  the  cause  of  Christ,  it  is  not  mine 
to  say.  His  Master  is  his  Judge.  (N.  B.  He  shortly 
after  met  with  great  pecuniary  losses,  and  is  .now 
dead.) 

In  conversing  with  an  intelligent  man,  who  had 
been  in  the  church  some  eight  or  ten  years,  I  urged 
him  to  unite  with  his  brethren  who  were  doing  good 
in  a  destitute  portion  of  the  Lord's  vineyard.  But  he 
positively  refused,  and  the  only  reason  given  was,  it 
was  too  great  a  sacrifice  for  him  to  lose  one  sermon 
that  his  pastor  might  preach. 

Well,  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  churches  are 
erected,  and  not  paid  for,  since  such  a  spirit  prevails  so 
extensively  in  the  churches.  Pride,  caste,  convenience, 
gratification,  good  society,  peculiar  associations,  and 
covetousness  sway  the  minds  of  many  Christians  in  their 
choice  of  a  place  of  worship,  far  more  than  the  simple 
questions,  "  How  and  where  can  I  most  glorify  God  V9 
I  have  been  in  the  ministry  now  twenty-five  years, 
and  I  have  never  asked  a  man  or  a  woman,  whether 
converted  under  my  ministry  or  not,  to  unite  with  us, 
if  I  thought  they  could  do  more  good  elsewhere.  Nor 
have  I  ever  asked  a  man  to  stay  and  labor  with  me,, 
if  he  felt  he  could  do  more  good  elsewhere.  On  the 
contrary,  my  uniform  practice  is  to  say  to  them,  Do 
not  come  with  us,  unless  you  feel,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  that  you  can  do  more  good  with  us  than  else- 
where. Nor  do  I  ever  refuse  for  a  moment  to  dismiss 
a  member  who  may  feel  that  God  would  be  more  glo- 
rified by  his  laboring  elsewhere.  Every  man  is  bound 
to  ask  himself  the  question,  Where  can  I  most  glorify 
God?  and  to  act  accordingly.  He  has  no  right  to 
bury  his  Lord's  talent  in  the  earth.    H[e  is  to  glorify 


The  Consequence.  105 

God  by  bearing  much  fruit.  And  sad  will  be  the 
death-bed  scene  of  the  man  who  lives  for  his  own 
gratification,  and  refuses  to  do  what  he  might  for  his 
Lord  and  Master. 

When  T  look  at  the  number  of  church  members  who 
are  crowded  together  in  some  of  the  churches,  when  I 
think  of  the  wealth  they  possess,  of  the  influence  they 
might  exert  in  saving  perishing  men,  and  that  they  are 
absolutely  in  the  way  of  each  other,  often  quarrelling 
with  one  another,  and,  in  fact,  stumbling  blocks  in  the 
•way  of  sinners  coming  to  God — I  feel  exceedingly  sad. 
Multitudes  upon  multitudes,  all  around  them,  are  per- 
ishing for  lack  of  vision,  and  no  man  of  them  cares  for 
their  souls  enough  to  build  a  house  for  God,  pay  for  it, 
and  support  the  gospel,  so  that  they  may  be  saved. 
They  might  do  it,  if  they  would.  There  are  many 
men  and  women  in  our  churches  who  could,  without 
losing  a  meal  by  the  effort,  build  a  neat  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  support  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  thus  be 
the  means  of  saving  many  souls.  But  they  choose  not 
to  dispose  of  their  Lord's  money  in  that  way.  Well, 
\vhat  is  the  consequence?  They  will  not  labor  to 
make  men  good;  men  grow  worse  and  worse.  These 
men  of  wealth  in  the  church  are  taxed  the  heavier  by 
the  government  to  aid  in  punishing  crime  ;  their  pro- 
perty is  sacrificed  by  the  faithlessness  of  the  wicked ; 
and  in  the  end  the  church  loses  more  through  the  in- 
fluence of  crime,  than  she  would  need  to  spend  in  re- 
forming and  saving  these  sons  of  Belial.  But  we  have 
high  authority  for  this  kind  of  economy.  Our  govern- 
ment spent  about  forty  millions  of  dollars,  besides  a 
multitude  of  lives,  to  shoot  a  few  Indians;  whereas, 
half  a  million  spent  in  instructing  them  in  the  fear  of 
God,  would  have  saved  all  this  waste  of  property  and 
life — this  ruin  of  souls.  And  now,  again,  she  has  spent 
more  than  one  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  and  thou- 
sands of  precious  lives,  for  a  little  contemptible  glory 
in  Mexico,  when  she  might  have  had  all  this,  and  far. 
more,  for  one-tenth  of  the  sum. 

Rut  where  is  the  hope  that  things  will  be  better  % 
9* 


106  Church  Debts. 

The  church  has  lost  the  spirit  of  the  apostles,  and  is 
but  a  stripling,  when  compared  with  her  former  giant 
greatness.  I  knew  a  man  who  stood  high  as  a  Chris- 
tian in  a  church  in  this  city.  He  chose  to  leave  it, 
and  to  unite  with  another  wealthy  church.  He  did 
so.  He  could  not  find  a  pew  that  suited  him  ;  and 
for  six  months  he  waited  for  somebody  in  the  church 
to  die  or  remove,  so  that  he  might  be  accommodated. 
He  did  obtain  a  pew,  and,  in  six  months  more,  he  too 
was  dead.  What  account  will  such  a  Christian  be 
able  to  give  to  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  of  the 
last  year  of  his  life?  But  why  censure  such  men, 
when  we  find  similar  feelings  in  some  who  are  set 
apart  to  be  teachers  in  Israel?  It  often  happens  that 
a  young  man  has  his  license  in  his  pocket  to  preach 
the  gospel,  and  yet  remains  at  home,  in  hope  of  a  call 
to  some  congregation  where  he  can  find  a  good  and 
large  support,  instead  of  going  forth,  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  to  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  his  Master,  where- 
ever  a  door  may  be  opened  to  him.  If  the  ministers 
of  Christ,  who  do  conscientiously  labor  for  their  Mas- 
ter, would  frown  upon  such  conduct  wherever  exhib- 
ited, and  if  they  would  so  preach  as  to  urge  their  peo- 
ple to  be  doers  of  the  word,  and  not  hearers  only,  we 
should  soon  see  our  churches  delivered  from  the  curse 
of  church  debts.  Yea,  more,  we  should  soon  see  the 
whole  land  dotted  with  churches,  erected  to  the  honor 
of  the  true  God,  paid  for,  and  full  of  devout  worship- 
pers; the  ministers  of  Christ  supported  and  encouraged 
in  their  work,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  would  have 
free  course  and  be  glorified. 

Again  let  me  ask  you,  my  Christian  readers,  are 
you  glorifying  God,  in  the  station  you  occupy  in  the 
church,  as  much  as  you  might  do  in  some  other  part 
of  it?  Could  you  not  alone,  or  by  uniting  with  a  few 
others,  easily  deliver  this  or  that  house  of  God  from 
debt?  Could  you  not  easily  build  a  house  to  God, 
and  support  a  good  minister  of  Christ  to  preach  the 
gospel  in  it?  Have  you  not  lost  already,  by  the  fail- 
ure of  banks,  or  houses,  or  individuals,  vastly  more 


The  Recapitulation.  107 

than  you  have  ever  given  to  pay  off  the  debts  of  God's 
houses,  or  to  erect  new  ones?  Does  not  God  require 
more  at  your  hand  than  He  receives  1  Will  you  then 
do  what  you  can  to  save  the  Church  of  Christ  from  a 
lasting  disgrace  1  There  is  a  Protestant  church  now 
in  this  city  loaded  with  a  debt  of  some  $10,000,  or 
more,  and  if  the  sum  be  not  soon  paid,  it  must  pass 
over  into  the  hands  of  the  Pope.*  Then  will  the  citi- 
zens of  this  city  be  permitted  to  witness  the  farce  of 
purifying,  with  smoke,  and  water,  and  Latin  prayers, 
the  sanctuary  of  our  God,  to  make  way  for  the  idola- 
try of  the  mass,  and  the  abominations  of  the  confes- 
sion !  And  yet  there  are  men  ecclesiastically  con- 
nected with  it  who  are  groaning  under  the  weight  of 
their  wealth,  and  who  must  soon  die  and  leave  it  all, 
and  still  they  gaze  upon  it  with  cold  indifference.  Oh! 
thou  blessed  Spirit,  that  moved  upon  the  hearts  of 
apostles  and  reformers,  return,  and  leave  not  thy 
church  to  utter  desolation ! 

I  am  yours,  as  ever,  in  the  war  against  church 
debts.      *  W.  R. 


LETTER  XXI. 


THE  RECAPITULATION". 


Lest  I  should  weary  my  readers  by  my  prolixity 
on  this  subject,  I  will  bring  these  letters  to  a  close. 
The  subject  is  by  no  means  exhausted.  The  half  has 
not  yet  been  said,  that  might  be  said,  of  the  withering 
curse  of  church  debts.  But  I  will  leave  it  for  abler 
pens  to  present  the  evil,  in  some  other  form,  before 
the  churches,  with  the  hope  that  the  consciences  of 
those  who  are  interested  in  this  matter  will  not  slum- 
ber over  the  subject,  as  in  days  past. 

*  It  has  gone  into  the  hands  of  the  Komanists. 


108  Church  Debte* 

As  some  of  my  readers  may  have  forgotten  some 
of  the  ideas  presented  in  these  letters,  I  have  thought 
that  it  might  not  be  amiss  to  give  a  versified  recapitu- 
lation of  the  whole  matter,  with  some  additional 
thoughts.  I  do  so,  not  because  I  wish  to  exhibit  any 
specimen  of  sublimity  in  poetry.  Those  who  look  for 
this  may  rest  assured  that  they  will  be  disappointed. 
I  am  no  poet,  and  aim  not  to  wear  a  poet's  laurels. 
But  as  it  is  a  relief,  at  times,  to  leave  the  monotonous 
motion  of  a  car  for  the  less  rapid,  though  more  pleas- 
ing, goings  of  even  a  homely  carriage,  so  I  feel  it  to 
be  in  the  present  case.  I  promise  my  readers  I  shall 
not  trouble  them  much  longer  with  either  poetry  or 
prose. 

I  feel  thankful  for  the  encouragement  I  have  had 
from  those  who  have  said,  "  Go  on."  Whether  the 
predictions  of  my  brethren,  who  have  said,  "Go  on,, 
but  you  will  do  no  good,"  will  be  fulfilled,  remain  to  be 
seen.  I  am  unwilling  yet  to  believe  that  the  Christian 
church  cares  less  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  churches 
of  their  Saviour,  than  the  heathen  do  for  their  temples. 
If,  however,  they  do  not  speedily  redeem  the  Lord's 
house  from  the  curse  of  a  debt,  which  now  rests  upon 
it,  they  will  show  that  they  love  themselves  more  than 
the  cause  of  Christ,  and  value  their  own  houses  more 
than  they  do  the  house  of  their  God. 

Sad  times,  indeed,  we  then  shall  see, 

When  saints  grow  covetous  and  cold ; 
Then  Pride  shall  conquer  Piety, 

And  Grace  resign  her  sway  to  Gold. 
This  cursed  love  of  sordid  dust 

Doth  mar  the  Christian  name  as  yet; 
It  grieves  the  Spirit  by  distrust, 

And  blasts  his  churches  with  a  debt. 


A  Dialogue.  10$ 


A  DIALOGUE  ON  THE  STATE  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

Mr.  A.  calls  upon  his  friend  B.,  and  finds  him  in 
his  room,  and  at  leisure.  Mr.  B.  rises,  and  accosts 
his  friend  thus: 

Mr.B.  Welcome,  dear  sir;  come,  take  a  seat; 
And,  since  we  do  so  seldom  meet, 
Come,  let  us  speak  of  heavenly  things, 
For  such  discourse  true  pleasure  brings. 
Then,  first,  (for  surely  thou  canst  tell,) 
Say,  is  it  with  the  churches  welH 
Does  piety  within  them  thrive? 
Do  Christians  after  glory  strive? 

Mr.  A.  I  would,  dear  friend,  that  I  could  give, 
An  answer  in  the  affirmative. 
Oh!  that  1  could  sincerely  tell 
That  with  the  churches  "all  is  well!" 
In  some,  devotion's  flame  is  bright, 
Diffusing  round  a  sacred  light ; 
And  now  and  then  a  sinner  turns, 
Forsakes  his  sins,  and  o'er  them  mourns. 
Some  manifest,  by  trifling  talk, 
They're  turned  from  Christ,  nor  with  Him  walk. 
The  world  has  captivated  them; 
They've  ceased  its  deadly  tide  to  stem,* 
The  wise  with  foolish  virgins  sleep, 
And  seldom  o'er  their  follies  weep; 
But  God  preserves  a  remnant  still, 
Who  always  aim  to  do  His  will. 
The  world  is  courted  and  pursued, 
As  if  it  were  the  only  good  ; 
The  church  grows  rich  in  sordid  pelf, 
And  seeks  to  gratify  herself; 
Christians  abound  in  wealth  and  ease, 
And  many  live  themselves  to  please. 
I  oft  feel  sad,  that  worldliness 
Usurps  the  place  of  godliness, 


110  Church  Debts. 

Mr.B.  I'm  well  aware  the  world  is  bad, 
And  pious  men  may  well  be  sad; 
But  still,  I  pray  you,  grieve  not  so — 
That  does  but  little  good,  you  know. 
E'er  since  the  fall,  the  world  has  been 
Groaning  beneath  a  weight  of  sin  ; 
The  wheat  and  tares  together  grow, 
And  thus  does  God  his  patience  show. 
The  day  will  come,  I  hope  'tis  near, 
When  our  Redeemer  shall  appear: 
Till  then,  we  cannot  hope  to  see 
The  church  from  imperfection  free. 
The  church  is  far,  I'll  freely  grant, 
From  what  she  was,  or  what  we  want  ; 
But  still  she  is  the  only  Light 
That  keeps  this  world  from  endless  night. 

Mr,  A.  I  so  believe.     But  might  not  she 
Walk  in  her  pristine  purity  ? 
Say,  what  doth  hinder  now  her  way 
That  was  not  in  th'  apostles'  day '? 
Idolatry  did  them  surround, 
And  everywhere  did  vice  abound ; 
Yet  still  corruption  they  withstood — 
A  firm,  devoted  brotherhood. 
Their  very  lives  they  held  not  dear, 
Confessed  they  were  but  pilgrims  here; 
Their  all  was  on  God's  altar  laid ; 
Their  lives  confirmed  the  vows  they  made. 
With  Christians  now  it  is  not  so  ; 
The  mass  seem  led  by  empty  show. 
In  many  things,  as  living,  dress, 
They  manifest  great  worldliness. 
They  imitate  a  Chinese  priest, 
Who  vowed  to  give  his  god  a  feast 
He  slew  a  hog — gave  him  the  soul. 
But  for  himself  he  kept  the  whole. 
He  reason'd  thus :  "  The  gods  above 
Don't  feast  on  things  that  mortals  love; 


The  Example.  Ill 

As  spirits,  they  on  spirits  feed, 
But  food  more  solid  mortals  need. 
I'll  give  my  god  the  soul ;  for  that 
Is  far  more  dear  to  him  than  fat. 
The  soul  he  never  will  refuse, 
But  flesh  and  blood  he  cannot  use. 
Thus,  while  upon  the  soul  he'll  feast, 
I'll  have  the  carcase  of  the  beast; 
And  thus  shall  both  be  satisfied, 
While  both  are  fed  and  gratified." 
In  Christian  lands  some  do  the  same, 
And  yet  retain  the  Christian  name: 
They  give  to  God  what  they  can  spare, 
And  keep  for  self  the  largest  share. 

Mr.B.  I  must  confess,  'tis  sometimes  so, 

But  then  the  case  is  rare,  you  know: 
I  still  must  think  that,  after  all, 
The  censure  does  too  heavy  fall. 
Concerning  some,  your  words  are  true, 
And  yet  they  seem  like  Christians  too; 
That  all  are  so,  I  can't  but  doubt, 
Until  you  clearly  make  it  out. 

Mr.  A.  I  don't  affirm  that  ev'ry  man 

Withholds  from  God  just  what  he  can; 

But  this  I  say :  there  are  but  few 

Who  give  to  God  what  is  His  due. 

Suppose  that,  for  example's  sake, 

You  do  our  city  churches  take : 

Is  one  in  ten  redeemed  from  debt? 

If  so,  I  have  to  learn  it  yet. 

Will  any  man  pretend  to  say, 

That  all  these  debts  they  cannot  pay? 

They  can  redeem  them,  if  they  would; 

Yea,  more,  their  conscience  says  they  should. 

Then  why  is  not  God's  house  set  free? 

The  cause  is  not  in  poverty. 

Ah!  no;  but  this,  our  deep  disgrace, 

Arises  from  the  want  of  grace. 


112  Church  Debts. 

These  debts  on  churches  are  a  curse, 
Which  always  grow  from  bad  to  worse; 
From  worse  to  worse  they  onward  go, 
Like  an  Apocalyptic  woe. 

Mi\B.  I  cannot  here  with  you  agree — 
A  debt  may  oft  a  blessing  be. 

Mr.  A.  What !  a  blessing !     And  think  you  so  ? 
Do  let  me,  then,  your  reasons  know. 

Mr.  B.  Perhaps  my  language  is  too  strong, 
But  still  1  think  that  you  are  wrong. 
I  cannot  think  that  ev'ry  case 
Of  debt  betokens  want  of  grace; 
Or  that  a  church,  by  debt  oppress'd, 
Can  never  in  her  work  be  bless'd. 
The  fact  is  plain,  that  churches  do 
Still  keep  in  debt,  and  prosper  too. 

Mr. A.  That  they're  in  debt,  that  fact  I  know; 
But  that  they  prosper  you  must  show: 
You'll  find  that  work  is  hard  indeed — 
But  I  will  hear,  so  now  proceed. 

Mr.  B.  I  will.     And,  first,  I  wish  to  say, 

They're  "  bonds  of  union"  in  our  day. 

Mr.  A.  Tremendous  bonds  they  are,  I  know — 
Most  galling  bonds  of  sin  and  woe. 

Mr.B.  Have  patience,  man,  and  I'll  explain; 
If  you'll  allow,  I'll  make  it  plain. 

Mr. A.  Most  certainly:  I  hope  you  will 
Go  on,  dear  sir ;  I'll  now  be  still. 

Mr.B.  The  debts  on  churches,  I  maintain, 
Bind  men  together  like  a  chain, 
Which  doth  the  people  firmly  hold — 
Especially  when  made  of  gold. 


SALE  OF  PEWS. 


Page  113. 


The  Sale  of  Pews,  113 

Their  operation,  when  you  see, 
You  will  perhaps,  agree  with  me. 
For  instance,  here  are  eight  or  ten, 
Or  more  or  less,  of  Christian  men, 
Who  now  agree  a  church  to  build,1 
And  hope,  of  course,  it  will  be  filled. 
Each  one  pays  in  a  fixed  amount, 
Of  which  he  keeps  a  strict  account ; 
But,  mark  !  this  money  is  but  lent — 
It  yields  a  gain  of  six  per  cent. 
The  church  is  up;  it  must  be  paid  ; 
A  price  upon  the  pews  is  laid. 
A  day  is  fixed  to  sell  the  pews; 
The  daily  papers  give  the  news ; 
The  people  come — the  auctioneer, 
Within  God's  house,  does  then  appear. 
The  crowd  the  costly  pulpit  view, 
The  organ,  seats,  and  cushions  too. 

THE    SALE    OF    PEWS. 

'•  Who'll  buy  this  pew?"  the  salesman  cries; 
"  Location  good — a  pleasant  size. 

Two  hundred — fifty — three — go  on — 

Three  fifty — four — five — going — gone. 

Who'll  have  the  next?     Best  in  the  church — 

Bid  up — don't  leave  us  in  the  lurch, 

'Tis  gone.     The  next  ?     They  must  be  sold. 

Come,  gentlemen,  don't  mind  your  gold  ; 

Money  enough,  when  you  are  gone, 

For  sons-in-law  to  revel  on. 

Three  hundred  bid?     Well  done,  I  say ; 

We'll  make  a  splendid  sale  to-day. 

It  can't  be  beat — the  stock  is  good — 

First  rale — I  see  I'm  understood. 

Bid  up!     Now  show  that  you're  aiive; 

Three  fifty — four — four  fifty — five — 

Five  hundred  dollars  for  this  pew — 

Going  at  five — a  bargain,  too — 

'Tis  gone.     It  is  yours,  Mr.  Great; 

I  do  you,  sir,  congratulate. 
10 


114  Church  Debts. 

All  now  are  sold,  except  two  more — 
Those  in  the  corner,  near  the  door ; 
But  since  they're  kept  for  charity, 
I've  been  advised  to  let  them  be. 
For  your  attendance  thanks  are  due; 
My  thanks  I  give,  kind  sirs,  to  you." 

Thus,  by  this  plan,  (the  very  best,) 
The  principal  and  interest 
Of  money  lent  can  be  repaid ; 
It  yields  the  church  substantial  aid. 
You  see,  the  man  who  owns  the  pew, 
If  he  should  choose,  can  sell  it  too. 
If  things  succeed,  there  is  a  chance 
The  pew  in  value  will  advance. 
There  is  our  neighbor,  Mr.  K., 
Who  sold  his  pew  the  other  day ; 
Four  hundred  dollars  he  had  paid — 
He  sold  the  pew  for  six,  and  made 
A  handsome  profit  by  the  trade. 
The  furniture  he  sold  by  lot, 
And  more  than  what  it  cost  he  got. 
I  do  not  say  that  there  are  any 
Who  join  the  church  to  make  a  penny; 
But  in  a  case  like  this,  you  see, 
A  pew  is  not  bad  property. 

It  seems  to  me  quite  fortunate 
That  pews  escape  a  tax  from  state; 
Most  other  things  are  taxable: 
Hence  pews  all  other  stocks  excel. 
When  people  can  this  understand, 
This  stock  will  be  in  great  demand. 
Now,  after  all,  without  pretence, 
The  money  has  the  influence. 
The  man  who  has  such  ties  as  these 
May  not  be  quite  so  hard  to  please; 
His  pew  he  will  not  sacrifice; 
Thus  to  the  church  the  man  it  ties. 
Some  churches  have  an  interest, 
Which  they  can  pay  as  suits  them  best. 


Caste.  115 

Indeed,  the  ladies  often  raise, 
By  fairs,  and  sales,  and  other  ways, 
Enough  to  put  them  out  of  fear, 
And  push  them  on  from  year  to  year. 
And  now,  my  friend,  1  hope  that  we, 
About  church  debts,  at  length  agree; 
That  they  are  blessings,  I  maintain ; 
Say,  don't  you  think  the  case  is  plain? 

Mr. A.  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  what  you've  said; 
You  have  the  subject  clearer  made. 
The  case  is  plain  ;  debts  are  a  curse ; 
In  vain  you'll  search  to  find  a  worse. 
Your  plan  is  hateful  to  my  mind; 
It  seems  iniquity  refined. 
Suppose  that  now  Bartholomew, 
Or  James,  or  John,  should  need  a  pew; 
Or  if  Mary,  Jesus'  mother, 
Should  desire  to  have  another; 
Say,  would  their  piety  and  grace 
Secure  for  them  their  proper  place? 
Or  would  you  say,  pews  must  be  sold, 
And  can't  be  had  without  the  gold  ? 

Mr.  B.  A  poor  man  is  a  poor  affair, 
In  money  matters,  anywhere ; 
We  much  prefer,  I'm  free  to  say, 
The  man  who  can  the  money  pay. 
His  money  will  secure  a  place, 
Which  can't  be  had  alone  for  grace. 
In  many  churches  seats  are  free; 
(For  instance,  in  the  gallery;) 
So,  if  the  poor  will  choose  to  come, 
They'll  find  "  above"  enough  of  room. 
Now  don't  suppose  we  shut  the  door 
'Gainst  any  man  who  may  be  poor ; 
We  do  not  so ;  we  only  say, 
That  gold,  at  times,  does  grace  outweigh. 

Mr.  A.  Your  plan  I  understand  at  last: 
You  have  adopted  Hindoo  caste* 


116  Church  Debts. 

They,  by  their  birth,  their  caste  adjust; 

But  here  'tis  done  by  sordid  dust. 

To  keep  up  caste  a  church  is  built — 

A  debt's  incurred,  and  also  guilt ; 

Some  saint  or  sinner  must  be  found, 

To  whom  you  mortgage  house  and  ground ; 

You  borrow  largely,  and  you  say, 

"  We're  safe,  if  we  the  int'rest  pay." 

The  principal  you  leave  to  be 

A  curse  to  your  posterity. 

To  pay  that  off,  you  ne'er  intend  ; 

This  is  the  truth,  I  apprehend. 

But  now,  the  interest  to  raise, 

You  must  resort  to  various  ways: 

A  sale  is  made,  to  aid  the  cause, 

Of  fancy  trifles  and  gewgaws ; 

The  brain  is  tortured  to  devise 

Some  whim  to  aid  the  enterprise; 

Nothing  comes  wrong — 'tis  just  the  thing, 

Provided  it  does  money  bring. 

Men  without  grace  you  try  to  please, 

And  so  you  make  of  them  Trustees. 

God's  enemies  are  courted  now — 

Religion  to  the  world  must  bow ; 

As  he  that  borrows  is  the  slave 

Of  him  that  lends,  perhaps  a  knave, 

Christ's  church  must  bow  to  knavery, 

In  base  and  abject  slavery ; 

For,  as  regards  the  mortgagee, 

A  foe  to  Christ  he  oft  may  be. 

If  this  be  so,  the  wicked's  rod 

Then  rests  upon  the  house  of  God. 

Say,  was  it  thus  the  Jews  of  old 
Lent  out  their  silver  and  their  gold? 
Did  they  their  money  thus  invest, 
And  charge  Jehovah  interest? 
Did  not  the  people  promptly  bring 
To  God  a  free-will  offering  ? 
They  gave  Jehovah  first  their  heart, 
Then  set  their  wealth  to  him  apart ; 


Scriptural  Mode  of  building  Churches.  117 

They  brought  of  every  kind  of  stuff, 
At  God's  command,  more  than  enough 
Of  silver,  gold,  and  brass,  and  wood; 
And  soon,  in  glorious  beauty,  stood, 
Built  freely,  and  with  one  accord, 
A  tabernacle  to  the  Lord. 

They  reared  the  Temple  free  from  debt — 
There  God  in  mercy  with  them  met; 
The  holy  people  worshipped  Him, 
As  seen  between  the  cherubim. 
In  after  days,  that  house  they  made 
A  place  of  merchandise  and  trade; 
But  though  their  sins  were  manifold, 
Jehovah's  house  they  never  sold: 
This  sin  of  sins  remained  to  be 
A  blot  on  Christianity. 
Oh  !  deep  disgrace  !  a  Christian  sells 
The  house  in  which  his  Saviour  dwells! 
Go,  search  the  earth,  from  east  to  west, 
And  every  clime  by  men  possessed — 
Among  them  all,  you'll  find  not  one 
Where  such  iniquity  is  done. 

Mr.B.  But  why  refer  us  to  the  Jews? 

You  know  they've  customs  we  don't  use. 
We've  nothing  now  to  do  with  them, 
Since  they  our  Saviour  did  condemn; 
I  say  again,  we've  nought  to  do 
With  Jewish  law — we  have  the  New. 


Mr.  A.  I  can't  agree  ;  but,  for  the  sake 
Of  argument,  the  New  I'll  take. 
I  pray  thee,  then,  show  me  the  plan 
On  which  the  Christian  church  began; 
If  they  pursued  the  plan  you  do, 
Then  I'll  confess  the  truth's  with  you. 
We  both  can  take  them  as  our  guide; 
Let  them  this  question  then  decide. 
10* 


118  Church  Debts. 

Mr.B.  This  seems  but  fair,  I  must  confess, 
And  in  tbis  plan  shall  acquiesce  ; 
But  yet  we  can't  make  every  man, 
In  everything,  pursue  their  plan. 

Mr.  A.  Our  error  can't  be  very  great, 
If  we  their  conduct  imitate  ; 
Their  principles  will  stand  the  test, 
For,  I  assure  you,  they're  the  best ; 
And,  notwithstanding  all  our  show, 
We'd  better  to  the  apostles  go ; 
They  may  not  all  our  plans  commend, 
But  their's  are  wisest  in  the  end. 

Mr.  B.  What  course  did  they  pursue,  to  build 

Their  churches,  and  to  have  them  filled? 
I  feel  quite  anxious  now  to  know, 
And,  if  you  can,  I  hope  you'll  show. 

Mr. A.  At  first  they  worshipped  where  they  could; 
An  upper  room,  a  cave,  a  wood, 
A  desert  mount,  or  open  air, 
Witnessed  their  fervent  worship  there. 
To  build  their  churches,  I've  to  learn 
That  e'er  it  gave  them  much  concern. 
On  saving  souls  they  were  intent ; 
Their  thoughts  were  to  that  object  bent; 
They  met  for  prayers  at  Christ's  command — 
A  faithful,  firm,  devoted  band. 
They  felt  that  they  must  greatly  err, 
Unless  they  had  the  Comforter. 
Ten  days  and  nights  they  strove  in  prayer, 
That  God  might  show  His  presence  there. 
Their  prayer  was  heard.     The  God  of  grace 
Then  with  his  glory  filled  the  place  ; 
A  sound  like  rushing,  mighty  wind 
Filled  all  the  house— o'erpowered  each  mind. 
In  glorious  form  the  Spirit  came, 
Like  cloven  tongues  of  lambent  flame; 
And  with  his  grace  each  spirit  filled, 
Like  gentle  dew  from  heaven  distilled.. 


The  Apostles'  Plan.  119 

Thus  qualified,  they  go  to  teach 
The  nations,  and  the  gospel  preach ; 
With  logic,  fired  by  love,  they  show 
The  way  t'  escape  from  endless  woe; 
By  gifts  unswayed,  by  frowns  unawed, 
They  sought  alone  to  please  their  God. 
The  people  prayed,  God's  servants  preached, 
And  multitudes  the  gospel  reached  ; 
In  penitential  grief  they  all 
Upon  the  Lord  for  mercy  call ; 
Jehovah  speaks  their  sins  forgiven — 
His  Spirit  seals  them  heirs  of  heaven. 
The  infant  church  thus  daily  grew 
In  numbers,  and  in  graces  too. 
•   Those  blissful  days  seemed  coming  on, 
When  Satan's  power  shall  all  be  gone, 
And  Earth,  redeemed,  her  glory  gain, 
Beneath  Messiah's  peaceful  reign. 

Mr.  B.  I  hope  you  don't  pretend  to  say 
That  any  churches,  in  our  day, 
Reject  the  Blessed  Comforter, 
Or  do  their  gold  to  grace  prefer? 

Mr.  A.  I've  often  thought,  I  must  confess, 

That  churches  show  great  worldliness. 
I  do  not  say  that  they  reject 
The  Spirit's  aid;  but  they  expect 
They  can  a  better  plan  pursue, 
Than  what  the  apostles  used  to  do. 

Mr.  B.  Why,  think  you  so?     I've  always  thought 
That  from  the  apostles  we  had  got 
The  plan  that  is  most  rational — 
By  far  the  best,  and  scriptural 
Our  ministers,  at  any  rate, 
The  plan,  I  judge,  do  approbate; 
And  if  'tis  wrong,  they  ought  to  know, 
And  to  the  church  a  better  show* 


120  Church  Debts. 

Mr.  A.  I've  sketched  the  path  the  apostles  trod 
In  building  up  the  church  of  God — 
I  think,  with  candor,  you'll  admit, 
That  bless'd  results  have  followed  it. 
If  Christians  had  that  course  pursued, 
They'd  done  incalculable  good. 
Too  much  on  men  of  wealth  and  pride, 
Instead  of  God,  they  have  relied  ; 
The  sad  result  you  can't  but  know — 
*Tis  manifest  where'er  you  go. 
Oh  !  that  I  could  a  mantle  cast 
O'er  present  sins,  and  o'er  the  past ! 
But  this  I  dare  not — cannot  do, 
And  to  the  church  be  faithful  too. 

• 
The  churches  now  God's  plan  reverse, 
And  hence  their  debts — this  standing  curse. 
At  first  a  costly  house  they  build, 
And  then  they  strive  to  have  it  filled; 
It  matters  not,  it  seems  to  me, 
If  saints  or  sinners  they  should  be. 
The  thing  that  rests  with  greatest  weight 
Upon  the  body  corporate, 
(Or  you  may  name  them,  if  you  please, 
The  Board  of  Elders  and  Trustees,) 
Is  not  the  saving  souls  from  woe, 
But  how  the  church  in  wealth  may  grow; 
Why  thus  they  act,  the  reason's  plain: 
A  debt  doth  on  the  church  remain. 

A  minister,  whose  eloquence 
Will  draw  the  men  of  influence, 
Must  next  be  called  and  settled  there, 
And  this  is  done  without  much  prayer. 
In  olden  times,  the  church  would  meet 
In  prayer  before  the  mercy-seat, 
And  supplicate  her  risen  Lord, 
That  He  a  pastor  would  afford ; 
But,  in  our  day,  it  is  not  so; 
Now,  Elders  to  Advisers  go. 


Minister  called.  121 

They  state  their  ease,  and  ask  that  they 
Would  send  a  man  without  delay. 
"  Observe  !"  they  say  ;  "  the  man  must  be 
Of  great  respectability; 
He  must  be  right  in  politics, 
And  keep  his  eye  on  heretics ; 
A  knowing  man,  without  pretence; 
A  man  of  real  eloquence  ; 
And  'tis  desirable  that  he 
Should  be  astute,  and  a  D.  D. ; 
In  travell'd  lore,  refined  display 
To  none  be  second  in  his  day. 
His  sermons  must  be  full  of  sense, 
Showing  superior  excellence : 
Our  folks  are  critics,  and  require 
That  kind  of  preaching  all  admire. 
One  other  thing  we  wish  to  say : 
We've  an  enormous  debt  to  pay; 
And  pay  that  debt  we  never  can, 
Unless  we  have  just  such  a  man. 
We  need  the  man ;  pray,  don't  forget — 
The  man  who'll  get  us  out  of  debt." 

And  now  these  kind  Advisers  write 
To  Mr.  Black  or  Mr.  White; 
The  glories  of  the  place  reveal, 
But  carefully  the  debt  conceal. 
Allured  by  what,  I  cannot  say, 
They  leave  their  flocks,  and  haste  away. 
They're  doing  good,  but  think  they  will 
A  more  important  station  fill ; 
Or  that  their  talents,  if  revealed, 
Would  gain  for  them  a  wider  field. 
Each  candidate  appears,  and  tries, 
By  sundry  means,  to  win  the  prize; 
Ere  long  they'll  find  the  prize,  indeed, 
Is  something  like  the  Indian's  steed: 
"  He's  hard  to  catch,  and  when  he's  caught, 
The  creature  is  just  good  for  naught." 
The  phantom  let  these  men  pursue, 
And  listen  while  1  speak  what's  true. 


122  Church  Debts. 

A  certain  church  (no  matter  where). 
Had  long  enjoyed  a  pastor's  care; 
At  last  they  found,  "  He's  not  the  man 
To  suit  the  times,  or  meet  our  plan." 
He  was  dismissed  ;  and  now  a  host 
Came  hov'ring  round  t'  obtain  the  post, 
Like  bees  in  summer  'round  a  flower, 
Which  would  its  sweetness  all  devour, 
Or  as  the  birds  on  Malabar, 
Which  scent  the  Parsee  from  afar, 
And  hasten  there,  with  claws  and  bill, 
Their  hungry  crops  with  flesh  to  fill;* 
So,  in  this  case,  the  crowd  is  led 
To  cringe,  for  sake  of  being  fed. 
The  Angels  of  the  Churches  now 
Before  the  golden  calf  must  bow. 
Oh  !  deep  disgrace,  that  they're  for  sale, 
And  highest  bidders  can  prevail ! 

The  test-day  comes  for  candidates  ; 
Each  patiently  his  turn  awaits. 
One  now  begins;  he  sings — he  prays; 
Things  new,  and  old,  a,nd  good  he  says; 
The  others,  full  of  rivalship, 
Display  alike  their  workmanship. 
There  sit  the  people,  old  and  young, 
Of  pious  heart  or  impious  tongue ; 
The  friends  of  God,  and  also  foes  ; 
The  man  that  much  or  little  knows  ; 
The  rich,  the  poor,  the  bad,  the  good. 
The  thing,  it  seems,  is  understood 
That  custom,  now,  does  authorize 
Such  Christless  ones  to  criticize 
God's  messages  of  love  to  man, 
And  thus  pervert  the  gospel  plan. 


*  The  dead  bodies  of  the  Parseea,  in  Bombay,  are  laid  in  the 
"  towers  of  silence"  on  Malabar  hill,  so  that  the  vultures  and  ravens 
may  devour  them. 


The  Object.  123 

The  hearing  o'er,  they  now  decide, 
For  they  the  candidates  have  tried. 
The  point  before  them  now  is  this : 
Not  who  shall  lead  their  souls  to  bliss; 
Nor  who  shall  most  of  Jesus  tell, 
And  save  their  fellow-men  from  hell ; 
Nor  who  shall  best  God's  truth  unfold: 
But  which  of  them  can  get  most  gold. 
This  is  the  object,  after  all, 
Which  sways  in  making  out  the  call. 
The  thing  is  base  as  base  can  be  ; 
'Tis  consummate  hypocrisy. 

Mr.B.  Hold  here,  friend  A.!     Not  quite  so  fast, 
Or  I'm  afraid  you'll  lose  your  caste. 
The  people  here  are  not  Hindoos, 
Nor  will  they  approbate  your  views; 
'Tis  probable  that  they  pursue 
What  conscience  says  they  ought  to  do. 
Our  moneyed  men,  in  church  or  state, 
Who  see  their  gold  accumulate, 
Don't  wish  that  you  should  trouble  them, 
Or  any  of  their  plans  condemn. 
The  pastor's  business  is  to  preach — 
Their  motives  he  should  ne'er  impeach  ; 
And  if  he  would  his  church  retain, 
He'd  better  from  such  things  abstain. 
There's  nothing  which  the  people  hold 
With  firmer  grasp  than  glitt'ring  gold; 
And  when  people  pay  for  preachers, 
They  want,  of  course,  first-rate  teachers. 
When  money's  paid,  or  even  lent, 
They  look  for  an  equivalent. 
One  thing,  I  think,  you  can't  deny : 
The  preacher  ought  to  edify 
The  church,  and  obstacles  remove, 
And  then  the  people  will  improve; 
Therefore,  'tis  right  that  they  should  get 
The  man  who'll  bring  them  out  of  debt 


124  Church  Debts. 

You  have  described  a  fancy  sketch, 
I  judge,  unless  the  proof  you  fetch. 

Mr.  A.  For  fancy  sketches,  I've  no  tact; 
I  deal,  dear  sir,  in  sober  fact. 
I  could  give  names,  but  then  I  fear 
At  once  jWll  say,  "  You're  too  severe." 
I'll  give  you  facts — I  think  that  best — 
And  leave  you  then  to  guess  the  rest. 
Concerning  caste,  I've  none  to  lose; 
And,  as  regards  the  poor  Hindoos, 
They're  not  as  bad  as  Christians  yet — 
They've  not  a  temple  now  in  debt ! 
And,  as  to  conscience  in  the  case, 
There's  just  as  little  as  there's  grace. 
The  fact  is  plain,  that  pride  controls 
The  churches,  more  than  love  of  souls. 
If  Mr.  Dives  should  appear 
Within  the  church  but  once  a  year, 
Or  if,  perchance,  he'd  buy  a  pew, 
Yet  still  his  worldliness  pursue, 
The  thing  would  make  a  greater  noise 
Than  if  a  score  of  girls  or  boys, 
In  humble  life,  should  turn  from  sin, 
And  should  a  life  of  faith  begin. 

Two  things  this  fact  does  clearly  show 
The  first,  that  piety  is  low; 
The  second  is,  that  worldliness 
Is  more  esteemed  than  godliness. 
Some  welcome  Dives  for  his  gold, 
Because  it  does  the  church  uphold; 
Others  rejoice  to  have  him  there — 
'Tis  not  because  he'll  lead  in  prayer — 
But  'tis  because  they  hope  they'll  be 
In  quite  "  genteel  society," 
One  is  glad  because  his  daughter, 
Like  a  lambkin  for  the  slaughter, 
May  be  caressed  a  little  while, 
And  end  her  days,  perhaps,  in  style  { 


A  Bond  of  Union.  125 

And  there  are  some  whose  joys  are  high, 
Because  they  think  redemption's  nigh ; 
Not  of  his  soul— that  they  Forget, 
But— that  he'll  help  them  out  of  debt! 
And  thus  it  is,  that  Pride's  caress'd, 
While  humble  Piety's  depress'd, 
Christ  and  his  cause  are  both  despised — 
At  Mammon's  shrine  they're  sacrificed. 

From  what  I've  said,  I  judge,  'twill  be 
Sometime  before  we  can  agree ; 
Yet,  still  I'll  wait  to  hear  from  you, 
What  farther  good  these  debts  can  do. 

Mr.B.  If  not  convinc'd  from  what  I've  said, 
And  from  the  light  that  has  been  shed, 
Upon  the  blessing  of  a  debt, 
(This  charming  Christian  amulet,) 
I  think  'tis  likely  I  cannot 
Present  to  you  a  single  thought 
That  would  convert  vou  to  my  view, 
But  still  I'll  try  what*  I  can  do. 

As  you  request,  I'll  now  proceed  ; 
But  first,  I  must,  in  truth  concede, 
That  from  your  argument  'tis  plain, 
That  Christian  love  would  be  a  chain, 
Which  would  on  Zion  better  sit, 
And  be  a  much  more  graceful  fit. 
But  since  we  don't  have  that  as  yet, 
There's  nothing  better  than  a  debt. 
They're  bonds  of  union,  I  have  shown, 
As  men  of  candor  now  must  own. 
Another  benefit  which  they 
Confer  on  churches,  in  our  day, 
Is  that,  (as  you  can  clearly  see,) 
They  lead  to  great  activity. 

Mr.  A.  To  me  the  thing  is  far  from  clear, 
But  I'll  not  judge,  till  first  I  hear 
11 


126  Church  Debts. 

What  kind  of  action  debts  produce ; 
'Tis  this  which  indicates  their  use. 
We  both,  I  trust,  in  this  agree, 
That  exercise  mere  bodily, 
That  is,  mere  exercise  as  such, 
Can  never  profit  Christians  much. 
But  'tis  not  so  with  godliness, 
Its  exercise  does  many  bless. 
If  debts  do  holiness  promote, 
They  certainly  shall  have  my  vote* 

Mr.  B.  I  cannot  say  that  they  produce 

Much  holiness;  but  they  conduce, 

In  various  ways,  to  keep  alive 

The  zeal  of  saints,  and  make  them  thrive, 

I've  said  that  people  firmly  hold 
Their  stock  of  silver  and  of  gold. 
The  reason  is,  that  influence 
Is  in  proportion  to  the  pence* 
A  settled  truth  it  seems  to  be, 
"  He's  not  a  man  of  energy, 
Who  don't  grow  rich  and  rise  above 
The  sphere  in  which  the  humble  move." 
If  we  have  wealth  we're  men  of  worth, 
No  matter  what  has  been  our  birth ; 
'Tis  wrong,  as  wrong  itself  can  be, 
To  search  into  one's  pedigree. 
Just  let  a  person  look  genteel, 
That  will  a  host  of  sins  conceal. 
Let  Ignorance  but  make  a  show, 
And  after  her  the  world  will  go. 
Yea,  even  Vice,  if  she's  well  dress'd, 
Will  be  by  multitudes  caress'd. 
A  rivulet  of  grace  for  show, 
Will,  with  a  rich  man,  farther  go, 
Than  ocean's  depths  of  righteousness, 
With  him  who  does  no  gold  possess. 
Since  this  is  so,  the  reason's  plain, 
Why  Christians  do  their  wealth  retain, 


Zeal  for  the  Church.  127 

For  those  who're  wealthy,  as  you  see, 
Gain  great  respectability. 
This  sentiment,  it  will  be  found, 
In  churches  rests  on  solid  ground. 
And  multitudes  of  Christians  do, 
This  course  most  rigidly  pursue. 
There's  one  exception  in  the  case, 
Which  does  the  ministers  embrace : 
For  their  respectability 
Consists  in  grace  and  poverty. 
In  rail-roads,  sanctioned  by  the  State, 
Or  stocks,  they  must  not  speculate; 
Nor  should  they  be,  in  any  wise, 
Engaged  in  trade  and  merchandize. 
As  wealth  their  usefulness  impairs, 
The  less  they  have  the  less  their  cares. 
That  this  is  so,  we  feel  quite  sure, 
And  hence  we  try  to  keep  them  poor. 
Of  course  they'll  in  the  pulpit  be, 
With  or  without  their  salary ; 
Hence  congregations  feel  at  ease, 
And  pay  their  pastors  when  they  please. 


But  'tis  not  so  if  we've  a  debt, 
The  mortgagee  will  not  forget 
The  day  his  interest  is  due, 
Whatever  course  we  may  pursue. 
To  pay  that  sum  we  must  not  fail, 
For  promises  will  not  avail. 
He  may  call  once,  but  seldom  twice, 
For  in  his  business  he's  precise. 
The  Trustees  now  are  plainly  told, 
Their  house  of  worship  will  be  sold : 
That  he  will  sue  his  mortgage  out, 
No  one  now  entertains  a  doubt; 
Unless  the  claim  be  promptly  met, 
The  Church  must  go  to  pay  the  debt. 
To  meet  the  claim  is  now  the  thing, 
Hence  ev'ry  one  must  something  bring; 


128  Church  Debts. 

The  ladies  ply  their  needles  too, 
And  manifest  what  they  can  do. 
The  young  and  old  together  vie, 
And  little  children  too  must  try 
What  they  can  do,  to  save  the  place 
From  deep  and  permanent  disgrace. 
'Tis  this  that  makes  some  Christians  feel, 
And  fills  them  full  of  holy  zeal. 
Such  zeal  is  not  to  be  despised, 
Multitudes  have  been  canonized 
For  less  religion,  'tis  confess'd, 
Than  in  this  case,  is  manifest. 
Now  I  say,  without  demurring, 
Debts  will  keep  the  Churches  stirring. 

M\  A.  I  certainly  with  you  concur, 

That  debts  on  Churches  make  them  stir ; 

But  all  the  stirring  they  produce, 

Is  verily  of  little  use  ; 

Just  as  a  Miss,  who's  tightly  laced, 

The  pressure  has  her  ribs  displaced ; 

It  makes  her  stir,  but  'tis — for  breath, 

Her  "  bonds  of  union"  are  her  death. 

'Tis  so  with  churches,  e'en  the  best, 

That  are  by  heavy  debts  oppress'd ; 

They  labour,  toil,  and  tug,  and  strive, 

But  'tis  to  keep  themselves  alive. 

They  draw  with  pain  their  ev'ry  breath  ; 

And  scarce  can  save  themselves  from  death. 

The  other  day  I  chanced  to  see 
A  decent  little  Honey  Bee; 
It  seems  he'd  ventur'd  far  from  home, 
And  while  away,  did  often  roam, 
O'er  hills  and  dales  and  flow'ry  meads, 
Where  bees  of  various  sects  and  creeds, 
Were  wont  to  meet  and  spend  their  hours, 
In  sipping  honey  from  the  flowers. 
By  chance,  one  day,  a  Dragon-fly 
Came,  at  his  leisure,  saunt'ring  by ; 


A  Parable.  129 

He  roved  about  quite  at  his  ease, 
He  only  cared  himself  to  please; 
He  fixed  his  eye  upon  the  Bee, 
And  said  he  was  surprised  that  he 
Should  labour  thus  from  hour  to  hour, 
In  gath'ring  food  from  flow'r  to  flow'r; 
Come,  follow  me,  I'll  show  you  where 
Thy  life  may  be  quite  free  from  care, 
Or  if  thou'd  rather,  it  may  be 
A  life  of  great  activity. 


Our  Bee  was  easy  to  persuade, 
And  so  the  Dragon-fly  obey'd ; 
At  once  the  flow'ry  mead  he  left, 
He  seem'd  of  reason  quite  bereft ; 
From  rural  scenes  where  nature  smiled, 
'Mid  flow'rs  luxuriant  and  wild, 
He  went  to  revel  'mid  the  sweets, 
That  may  be  found  in  crowded  streets. 
He  had  not  wander'd  long  nor  far, 
Till  he  espied  a  splendid  jar, 
In  which  was  nectar  like  a  sea 
Of  bliss,  e'en  an  infinity. 
Exulting  now  he  ventur'd  near, 
And  sipped  those  sweets  without  a  fear. 
But  vain  presumption  urged  him  on, 
Discretion  had  entirely  gone; 
He  ventured  on  beyond  the  place, 
From  whence  he  could  his  steps  retrace ; 
Perceiving  danger  when  too  late, 
He  strove  himself  to  extricate. 
He  used  his  utmost  energy 
From  pending  danger  then  to  flee  ; 
He  strove  in  vain — exhausted  fell — 
Of  all  his  hopes  it  was  the  knell. 
Oft  did  he  climb  quite  to  the  brink, 
But  would  as  often  backward  sink. 
His  strength  and  his  activity 
Were  fruitless  spent. — Despairing,  he 
11* 


130  Church  Debts. 

Gave  up  as  lost. — He  closed  his  eyes — 
In  grief  and  agony  he  dies. 

Before  he  died,  he  weeping  said, 
"  How  foolishly  I  have  been  led  ! 
Oh  !  that  I  had  my  work  pursued, 
According  to  my  habitude  ! 
Oh !  that  I'd  been  an  humble  Bee, 
Then  Pride  had  never  ruin'd  me ! 
If  I'd  repell'd  that  Dragon-fly, 
And  let  his  words  pass  heedless  by; 
With  sweets  I  might  have  filPd  my  cell, 
And  still  amid  enjoyments  dwell. 
When  wisdom's  ways  are  thus  transgress'd, 
Enduring  peace  can't  be  possess'd. 
Activity,  controll'd  by  pride, 
Ne'er  leads  to  bliss." — 'Twas  thus  he  died. 

In  churches  now,  it  seems  to  me, 
There's  some  resemblance  to  this  Bee. 
The  path  in  which  they  should  have  trod; 
Is  marked  distinctly  by  their  God; 
Through  Pride  rejecting  that,  they  say 
We  much  prefer  some  other  way. 
They  choose  some  phantom  of  their  brain, 
With  an  activity  insane. 
Their  course  is  foolishness  supreme ; 
Aye,  more,  'tis  madness  in  th'  extreme. 
They  go  in  debt,  to  show,  no  doubt, 
Activity  in  getting  out. 
There  is  a  church  that  has  a  debt 
Of  30,000  on  her  yet  ; 
It  keeps  her  stirring,  I  dare  say, 
A  heavy  interest  to  pay. 
She  gives  her  hundreds  for  her  pride, 
And  a  few  pence  to  God  beside. 
Her  greatest  energies  are  spent, 
In  paying  interest  and  rent. 
Why  should  her  strength  thus  wasted  be, 
In  this  the  nineteenth  century  ? 


The  Sluggard's  Bliss.  131 

The  Church  has  met  a  sad  reverse, 
But  still  perpetuates  the  curse. 
'Tis  strange,  as  strange  itself  can  be, 
That  she  her  folly  does  not  see. 
Two  mighty  evils  she  hath  done, 
Not  clearer  is  the  noon-day  sun. 
Her  God  she  wickedly  hath  left, 
And  gone  to  cisterns  that  are  cleft. 
Where  founts  of  living  waters  flow, 
Where  pastures  in  luxuriance  grow, 
Where  grace  like  show7ers  distills,  e'en  there. 
Where  Jesus  is  to  answer  prayer: 
How  few  appear  in  meekness  now, 
Or  with  a  contrite  spirit  bow ! 
How  few  thirst  after  righteousness, 
And  humbly  after  glory  press ! 
Some  seem  content  to  grow  in  pelf, 
And  live  and  act,  each  for  himself. 
They'd  rather  hear,  yea,  ten  times  o'er, 
Than  speak  of  Christ  from  door  to  door. 
They  seek  not  God  to  glorify, 
So  much  as  self  to  gratify. 
For  saving  souls  they  little  care, 
And  hence  they  seek  locations,  where 
They'll  never  once  be  asked  to  pray. 
Or  work  for  God  in  any  way. 
They  judge  absolution  to  be  bliss,- 
And  doing  nothing  glory  is. 
As  this  is  so,  I  now  can  see, 
That  heavy  debts  of  use  may  be, 
As  when  a  corpse  you  galvanize, 
It  starts  and  opens  mouth  and  eyes; 
The  tongue  exerts  itself  to  talk, 
The  limbs  attempt  again  to  walk; 
But  vital  power  it  ne'er  regains, 
It  still  a  lifeless  corpse  remains ; 
And  back  it  falls  without  a  breath, 
Locked  in  the  cold  embrace  of  Death. 
So  debts  do  these  Absorbents  start, 
And  momentary  life  impart ; 


132  Church  Debts. 

Compell'd  to  move,  they  quiv'ring  rise, 
And  gaze  about  with  vacant  eyes. 
Their  hands  convulsive  seize  the  purse, 
And  portions  of  their  gold  disburse; 
They  grasp  the  balance,  and  resume 
The  death-like  torpor  of  the  tomb. 

Mr.B.  Well,  well,  friend  A.,  I  thought  you'd  see, 
That  Debts  produce  activity. 
I've  some  encouragement  as  yet, 
You'll  be  an  advocate  for  debt. 
I'm  glad  you  yield  to  evidence 
When  once  produc'd.  This  shows  good  sense; 
But  all  their  blessings  you  don't  know; 
With  your  consent  I'll  others  show. 

Mr. A.  I  hope  you'll  show  the  full  amount; 

But  you  perceive  there's  some  discount 
To  be  deducted  from  the  sum, 
Which  will  reduce  the  blessings  some. 

Mr.B.  With  discounts  I  have  naught  to  do, 
I'd  rather  leave  that  work  to  you; 
I  give  the  blessings  as  they  are, 
With  some,  I  know  they'll  pass  at  par. 
The're  various  ways,  as  I  may  state, 
In  which  these  debts  do  operate, 
To  wake  the  Church's  energy, 
And  rouse  them  from  their  lethargy. 
I  will  at  present  mention  one, 
To  show  you  how  the  thing  is  done. 
The.love  of  souls,  most  verily, 
Don't  wake  up  half  the  energy. 

The  plan  is  this.     You  must  begin 
By  ev'ry  art  to  get  folks  in ; 
For  if  the  Church  can  once  be  fill'd, 
You'll  have  in  each  new  life  instill'd  ; 
You  know  our  Pastor's  influence 
Is  measured  by  his  audience. 


A  Modern  Plan.  133 

If  he  were  Paul,  and  preached  to  few, 
He  could  but  very  little  do  ; 
But  to  a  crowd,  should  Demas  preach, 
His  words  the  inmost  heart  would  reach ; 
E'en  braying  would  like  music  be, 
For  crowds  are  judges,  certainly. 

Since  this  is  so,  I'll  tell  you  how 
You  may  secure  a  number  now; 
Where'er  you  go,  the  people  tell, 
"The  music  in  our  church  goes  well;" 
Or  tell  them  that  "the  organist 
Is  'mong  the  best  that  does  exist." 
Invite  them  then  to  hear  him  play, 
And  e'er  you  part,  secure  their  yea. 
And  should  you  find  some  family 
That  go  some  where  quite  steadily, 
But,  where  they  are,  'tis  understood 
They  can't  give  much — but  do  some  good, 
Invite  them  still  to  come  with  you, 
And  see  you  take  them  to  your  pew. 
Then  whisper  :  "  Friends,  the  trustees  will 
Give  you  a  pew  if  it  you'll  fill ; 
Your  family  is  good,  I  know, 
They'd  make  with  us  a  handsome  show. 
It  would  our  Pastor  gratify, 
Yourselves  and  us  'twould  dignify: 
Now,  Sabbath  next  I  hope  to  see 
With  us  your  lovely  family," 

And  should  you  find  a  lad  or  lass, 
A  member  of  some  Bible-class, 
Invite  them  to  your  class,  or  where 
You  often  meet  for  social  prayer. 
No  matter  if  they  do  forsake 
Their  church,  and  thus  their  cov'nant  break. 
And  as  regards  the  Sabbath-school, 
The  little  ones  you  can  be-fool; 
Just  offer  them  some  costly  book, 
Like  silly  fish  they'll  bite  the  hook ; 


134  Church  Debts. 

They'll  leave  their  school  and  come  with  you, 

Perhaps  they'll  bring  their  parents  too. 

This  rule  you  must  still  keep  in  mind, 

"  Take  ev'ry  one  that  you  can  find." 

If  from  a  Church,  it  matters  not, 

Don't  give  that  thing  a  second  thought ; 

The  object  keep  before  you  still, 

And  try  your  empty  pews  to  fill. 

Thus  by  degrees  some  men  you'll  get, 

Who'll  greatly  help  to  pay  the  debt. 

Now  all  this  zeal  would  not  be  shown, 

Without  a  debt  as  you  must  own. 

To  lead  a  soul  from  woe  to  bliss, 

Yields  not  activity  like  this. 

And  now,  I  think,  you  must  conclude, 

That  debts  on  churches  are  a  good. 


Mr.  A.  Debts  are  quite  good,  I  must  confess, 
To  bring  on  churches  worldliness ; 
They're  better  still  to  foster  Pride, 
And  Vanity  and  Strife  beside  : 
Yea,  more,  the  very  best,  you  see, 
For  lying  and  Hypocrisy. 
I  know  you'll  think  me  het'rodox, 
But,  I  affirm  Pandora's  box, 
(Suppose  that  fable  to  be  true,) 
Ne'er  cursed  the  world  as  Church  debts  do. 
Those  varied  ills  men's  bodies  smite, 
But  these  the  inmost  spirit  blight. 
Then  cheering  hope  was  left  behind, 
But  here  is  nought  to  cheer  the  mind. 
The  curse  is  like  the  leprosy, 
That  smote  the  house  of  Gehazi; 
Besides  himself,  his  household  were 
For  ever  doomed  the  curse  to  bear. 
Your  plan  I  heartily  despise, 
'Tis  despicable  in  my  eyes ; 
If  you  must  steal,  I'd  say,  in  brief, 
Do  be,  at  least,  a  decent  thief; 


Stealing  Members,  135 

And  in  your  hateful  robbery, 

Don't  steal  from  zealous  poverty: 

Men  don't  despise  a  hungry  thief, 

If  stealing  be  to  find  relief; 

But  those  who.  steal  for  sake  of  gain, 

If  they  are  cursed,  must  not  complain. 

'Tis  so  with  churches  not  a  few, 

Which  do  this  worldly  course  pursue ; 

They  steal  from  others,  not  through  need, 

But  pride  and  worldliness  to  feed. 

Go  to  the  world,  draw  men  from  thence, 

Thus  show  your  great  benevolence. 

You  rob  Saint  Paul  to  pay  Saint  Peter, 

Then  in  a  tune  of  grave  long  meter, 

Give  God  the  praise  for  }'our  increase, 

And  glory  in  a  stolen  fleece. 

A  course  like  this  God  never  bless'd, 

You'll  find  at  last,  'tis  curse  possess'd. 


If  Christians  would  respect  command, 
From  men  of  thought  throughout  the  land ; 
If  they'd  secure  the  Spirit's  aid, 
To  stay  their  course  now  retrograde; 
If  they  would  rescue  men  from  woe, 
As  on  in  multitudes  they  go; 
If  they  desire  God's  will  to  do, 
They  must  a  diff'rent  course  pursue. 
There  are  some  men  who're  more  intent, 
On  shaving  notes  to  make  a  cent, 
Than  e'er  they've  been  to  save  a  soul, 
Or  rescue  men  from  sin's  control. 
And  yet  these  men  profess  to  be 
In  thought  and  feeling,  heavenly ! 
There  others  are,  for  they  abound, 
In  ev'ry  Church  they  can  be  found, 
Who,  like  great  sucklings,  fed  on  milk, 
And  wrapp'd  in  swad'ling  bands  of  silk, 
Still  seem  to  think  and  feel  and  act, 
As  if  it  were  a  sober  fact, 


\2Q  Church  Debts. 

That  they  must  by  absorption  rise, 
To  dwell  in  glory  in  the  skies. 

Now,  take  the  churches  ev'ry  where, 
>Tis  manifest,  their  greatest  care 
Is  to  defend  themselves,  and  hence 
Arises  their  great  impotence. 
The  Church  at  first  did  not  act  so ; 
Christ  gave  command  that  they  should  go 
In  all  the  world— the  nations  teach- 
To  ev'ry  soul  the  gospel  preach : 
They  went,  and  'gainst  the  world  they  fougru, 
And  never  once  its  favour  sought. 
Their  movements  were  aggressive  still, 
Thus  they  obey'd  their  Saviour's  will. 
The  Church  moved  onward  steadily, 

From  victory  to  victory ; 

Now,  with  the  world  she's  made  a  truce, 

And  hence  for  armour  has  no  use. 

Christians,  alas !  have  ceased  to  be 

Rebukers  of  iniquity. 

Who  does  the  worldliness  oppose, 

That  now  through  all  the  churches  flows  I 

Where  are  those  men  who  fearless  tell, 

The  worldling  and  the  infidel, 

Of  coming  wrath— and  urge  them  now, 

In  humble  penitence  to  bow  ? 

Where  are  the  men  who  feel  that  they 

Must  all  Jehovah's  laws  obey? 

From  serving  self  they  never  swerve, 

And  would  by  proxy  Jesus  serve; 

Their  full  responsibility 

They  shun  with  great  facility. 

Said  Worldly-wisdom  once  to  me, 
"  The  Church  pursues  bad  policy, 
"We  have  too  many  stations,  where 
Is  offered  up  the  poor  man's  prayer. 
Had  I  my  way,  I'd  break  the  neck 
Of  all  weak  churches.     Then  I'd  check 


Worldly-  Wisdom,  1 37 

Henceforth  their  birth,  and  would  create 

Each  Church  at  once  in  manhood  state. 

We'd  from  long  nursings  then  be  free, 

It  would  be  great  economy. 

I'd  then  select  the  nicest  spot 

That  could,  in  any  place,  be  got; 

And  there  a  splendid  house  I'd  build, 

And  soon,  I'm  sure,  it  would  be  filled. 

Just  make  the  Church  respectable, 

Then  ev'ry  thing  will  go  on  well; 

The  rich  and  poor  I'd  there  unite, 

To  see  such  union  I  delight. 

As  pews  below  are  high,  you  see, 

The  poor  will  take  the  gallery. 

If  I  had  millions  I'd  pursue 

The  plan  I've  sketched,  say  would  not  you  ?" 

To  Worldly-wisdom,  I  replied; 
When  Piety  once  marries  Pride, 
I  have  no  hope  that  e'er  she'll  be, 
Of  any  great  utility, 
In  saving  souls  from  endless  woe, 
For  now  her  heart  is  bent  on  show. 
The  humble  man  God  chooses  still, 
To  execute  his  gracious  will ; 
But  if  the  church  will  foster  pride. 
And  will  not  in  his  plans  confide, 
He'll  leave  them  curs'd  by  Pride  and  Debt, 
And  all  the  woes  which  they  beget. 

Mr.  B.  From  what  I've  said,  you  have  at  length, 
In  all  their  beauty  and  their  strength, 
The  varied  uses  "of  a  debt, 
And  all  the  blessings  they  beget. 
I  now  shall  wait  to  hear  from  you, 
What  injury  Church  debts  can  do; 
And  if  Church  debts,  church  curses  are, 
1  hope  you'll  be  particular, 
To  point  the  curse  distinctly  out, 
Nor  leave  on  any  mind  a  doubt. 
12 


138  Church  Debts, 

If  you  their  real  evils  show, 
On  all  a  favour  you'll  bestow. 

Mr.  A.  Their  evils,  Sir,  are  manifold, 

Nor  can  their  magnitude  be  told. 

Eternity,  with  all  its  light, 

We  need,  to  see  this  curse  aright. 

By  facts,  I  shall  corroborate 

The  truth  of  ev'ry  thing  I  state. 

I'll  place  the  facts  before  your  face — 

Appoint  you  judge  in  ev'ry  case; 

And,  in  the  end,  I  trust  you'll  see, 

That  Debts  lead  to  Hypocrisy — 

That  they,  the  Church  of  Christ,  disgrace; 

The  gospel  ministry  debase — 

The  Pastor  from  his  flock  they  rend, 

And  souls  who'd  come  to  Christ  forefend ; 

Yea,  more,  that  they  God's  plan  pervert, 

And  Christians  from  their  work  divert; 

They  stop  the  angel  in  his  flight, 

To  spread  o'er  earth  the  gospel  light; 

Of  all  the  evils,  they're  the  worst, 

That  have  the  church  for  ages  curs'd. 

Mr.  B.  ]f  these  Church  debts  are  half  as  bad 
As  you  affirm,  the  case  is  sad. 
But  I  confess,  I  cannot  see 
How  they  promote  hypocrisy  ; 
Or,  how  they  can,  in  any  way, 
Confirm  the  truth  of  what  you  say. 
But  you  have  studied  well,  I  know, 
Their  influence  for  weal  or  woe: 
Jn  silence,  then,  I'll  gladly  wait, 
To  hear  what  facts  you  have  to  state. 
So  now  proceed,  and  prove  to  me 
That  Debts  produce  Hypocrisy. 

Mi\A.  I'll  mention,  then,  a  common  case, 
That  shows  no  honesty  or  grace; 
And  leave  you  free  the  act  to  blame, 
Or,  if  you  can,  commend  the  same. 


The  Consultation.  139 

It  happen'd  once,  no  matter  where, 
Some  Christians  met,  for  such  they  were ; 
At  all  events,  they  bore  the  name, 
In  common  parlance  'tis  the  same. 
On  sober  thought,  it  seem'd  quite  clear, 
That  they  for  God  a  house  should  rear. 
A  difficulty  now  arose 
('Tis  oft  the  case,  as  each  one  knows) 
About  the  size,  the  price,  the  style, 
Which  occupied  their  thoughts  awhile. 
It  soon  appear'd  that  ev'ry  man, 
As  master  builder,  had  a  plan  ; 
And  each  one  thought  his  plan  the  best, 
And  'gainst  the  others  did  protest. 

Said  one,  "  I'm  for  a  building  grand, 
That  admiration  will  command; 
'Tis  for  our  God,  and  he'll  provide, 
If  in  his  pow'r  we'll  but  confide. 
We'd  better  build  one  large  enough, 
And  trust  to  God  to  furnish  stuff." 

"  Good  Music,"  said  our  Elder  Wright, 
**  Is  what  we  need  for  the  elite  ; 
Just  let  the  Organ  be  first  rate, 
'Twill  give  the  truth  tremendous  weight. 
It  will  a  crowded  house  secure, 
Which  faithful  preaching  can't  procure. 
They  for  the  Gospel  little  care, 
It  is  the  Music  brings  them  there." 

A  third  one  differ'd  from  the  rest — 
He  said,  "I  have  but  one  request, 
That  we'll  erect  a  Church  the  best 
That  gold  can  rear  or  thought  suggest. 
And  not  stand  carping  at  expense, 
As  if  we'd  no  benevolence. 
We'll  make  it  for  our  interest, 
To  build  a  Church,  the  very  best." 


140  Church  Debts. 

The  thing  was  argued  well,  and  each 
Was  privileged  to  make  a  speech ; 
The  talking  o'er,  they  then  agreed, 
That  with  the  building  they'd  proceed. 
The  work  moved  on  with  rapid  rate, 
Each  workman  seemed  to  emulate 
The  others,  till  the  work  was  done, 
Which  they  so  nobly  had  begun. 
The  workmen  now  must  all  be  paid, 
And  this  is  done  through  borrow'd  aid. 
Friends  pay  a  part,  and  lend  the  rest 
At  six  per  cent,  on  interest, 
By  bond  and  mortgage  on  the  place, 
Where  Jesus  manifests  his  grace ! ! 

The  day  arrives  to  dedicate 
This  house  to  God.     In  solemn  state 
The  people  come  from  far  and  near, 
They  seem  to  be,  indeed,  sincere. 
Here  rev'rend  Ministers  are  found, 
In  theologic  lore  profound, 
Attended  by  a  retinue 
Of  Elders  and  of  Deacons  too ; 
And  multitudes  of  folks  beside, 
Who  in  the  present  plan  confide, 
Of  giving  God  a  house  not  theirs, 
And  sanctifying  sin  by  prayers. 

The  services  begin,  and  now 
The  crowd  in  supplication  bow ; 
And  earnestly  they  ask  in  prayer 
The  presence  of  Jehovah  there. 
A  hymn  was  sung — a  sermon  preach'd, 
Which  neither  purse  nor  conscience  reach'd. 
Of  saint  or  sinner  on  the  ground, 
Although  the  preacher  was  renow'd. 

The  sermon  o'er;  the  preacher  spoke 
In  solemn  tones — "  Let  us  invoke 


The  Dedication.  141 

God's  blessing,  while,  with  hearts  elate, 

This  house  to  Him  we  dedicate." 

The  people  rose,  and  then  in  prayer, 

They  did  most  solemnly  declare — 

"  We've  rear'd,  O  Lord,  this  house  for  thee ; 

Here  may  thy  name  still  honour'd  be. 

This  house  apart  for  Thee  we  set — 

(DCr'They  ne'er  confess'd  it  was  in  debt.) 

May  generations  yet  unborn, 

With  grateful  praise  Thy  house  adorn. 

Accept  this  gift  we  now  present, 

Father,  to  Thee,  with  one  consent; 

Accept  this  gift,  we  pray  again, 

'Tis  Thine  for  aye.     Amen,  Amen." 


Not  many  years  had  pass'd  away, 
When,  with  a  friend,  I  went  one  day 
To  worship  in  this  temple,  where 
I'd  heard  that  dedicating  prayer. 
1  thought  with  joy  on  scenes  by-gone, 
As  mem'ry  viewed  them  one  by  one. 
While  musing  thus  with  heart  elate, 
I  found  myself  before  the  gate. 
I  saw  some  one  the  door  had  shut, 
And  on  the  wall  a  notice  put, 
I  read  the  notice  with  surprise, 
Scarce  giving  credence  to  my  eyes: 
*'  This  house  for  sale,  to  pay  the  debt 
Remaining  on  the  building  yet." 
My  friend  inquired,  "  Whose  house  is  this  ? 
Why,  have  the  people  been  remiss, 
To  pay  the  debt  and  save  the  place 
From  such  a  permanent  disgrace  V9 
"  'Tis  God's,"  I  said.     Not  so,  said  he  ; 
What !  God  in  debt ! !  That  cannot  be. 
And  tell  me,  who  has  right  to  claim 
This  House  devoted  to  God's  name? 
Has  man  a  right  to  buy  or  sell 
God's  house,  if  it  should  please  him  well  1 
12* 


142  Church    Debts. 

Who  gave  to  him  the  privilege 
To  do  such  deeds  of  sacrilege? 
J've  heard  of  some  that  often  do, 
First  make  their  god  then  eat  him  too; 
But  men  of  truth  cannot  act  so, 
They  can't  be  hypocrites,  you  know; 
They  say  sincerely  what  they  mean, 
And  by  their  works,  their  faith  is  seen." 

I  then  replied,  I  still  affirm, 
The  house  is  God's,  and  can  confirm 
The  truth  of  ev'ry  thing  I  say, 
By  Elder  D.  across  the  way  ; 
For  he  was  present  years  ago, 
And  recollects  the  facts,  I  know. 
We  call'd  the  man,  and  hoped  that  he 
Would  explicate  the  mystery. 

Elder  D.  The  Elder  came.     Kind  Sirs,  said  he, 
Since  you've  referred  the  case  to  me, 
I  can  confirm  what  has  been  said ; 
I  saw  the  corner  stone  when  laid. 
I  watch'd  the  building  as  it  rose, 
And  all  its  hist'ry  can  disclose. 
The  house,  when  finished,  was  involved 
In  heavy  debt ;  but  we  resolved 
To  give  just  what  we  had,  and  pay 
The  rest,  perhaps,  some  other  day. 
We  felt  ourselvss  quite  in  the  lurch, 
Jn  dedicating  all  the  Church. 
As  we  had  only  paid  one-third, 
It  seemed  to  us  somewhat  absurd, 
To  dedicate  one-third  of  it, 
And  all  the  other  parts  omit. 
To  save  the  thing  from  looking  droll, 
We  thought  we'd  dedicate  the  whole. 

If  that's  the  way,  my  friend  replied, 
The  work  was  done,  the  people  lied ; 


The  aid  of  Ministers.  143 

For  all  their  singing  and  their  prayers, 
Can  never  prove  the  house  was  theirs. 
The  thing  is  wrong,  as  wrong  can  be, 
There's  lying  and  hypocrisy. 
If  men  should  treat  their  fellows  so, 
They'd  act  the  hypocrite  you  know; 
Now,  what  is  sin  'gainst  man,  can't  be 
Esteem'd  God-ward  as  piety. 

Mr.  A.  I  must  agree  with  this  friend's  views, 
But  you  may  differ  if  you  choose. 
But  say,  friend  B.,  and  is  it  so, 
That  men  will  dare  on  God  bestow, 
A  house,  or  any  property, 
On  which  some  man,  as  mortgagee, 
Has  prior  claims,  and  which  he  may 
Put  up  for  sale  his  claim  to  pay? 
In  acts  like  this,  I  must  confess, 
I  see  no  truth  nor  righteousness. 

'Tis  sad  that  ministers  should  lend 
Their  influence,  and  should  commend 
A  plan  so  fatal ;  aye,  the  worst, 
That  has  the  Church  for  ages  curs'd. 
If  they'll  by  praying  sanction  sin, 
"  And  keep  this  curse  the  Church  within, 
No  man  of  sense  can  ever  doubt, 
They'll  preach  in  vain  to  turn  it  out. 
So  long  as  they  are  gratified, 
To  see  the  people,  in  their  pride, 
Devote  to  God  a  house  unpaid, 
And  thus  the  Christian  name  degrade. 
They'll  keep  from  God  what  is  his  due, 
And  will  this  wicked  course  pursue. 
Great  sin  rests  on  the  ministry ; 
For,  such  bare-faced  hypocrisy, 
The  people  will  forever  quit, 
If  ministers  won't  sanction  it. 
And  now,  friend  B.,  'tis  left  with  you 
To  judge  if  what  I  say  is  true. 


144  Church  Debts. 

Mr.B.  I  cannot  well  decide  the  case, 

Without  the  facts  before  my  face ; 

Present  the  facts,  then  I  can  tell 

If  these  Church-debts  work  ill  or  well. 

But,  with  your  views,  I  must  confess, 

I  seem  disposed  to  acquiesce. 

I  will,  however,  hear  you  through, 

Perhaps,  I  then  may  think  writh  you. 

It  may  not  be  hypocrisy, 

Nor  even  insincerity, 

That  leads  some  Christian  people  yet, 

To  give  the  Lord  a  house  in  debt. 

I  still  maintain,  they  mean  to  do 

The  thing  that's  right ;  say,  do  not  you  ? 

Mr.  A.  I  don't  think  so.     They  know  'tis  wrong  ; 
The  house  does  not  to  them  belong; 
I've  no  faith  in  transmigration, 
Nor  in  transubstantiation. 
I  cannot  think  when  men  say  prayers 
Within  a  house,  that  it  is  theirs; 
Pray  much  or  little,  short  or  long, 
The  house  does  not  to  them  belong. 

'Tis  said,  that  once  a  Priest  was  sent 
On  business,  in  the  time  of  Lent; 
He  lost  his  way  in  coming  home, 
And  through  the  forest  had  to  roam. 
Fatigued  by  travelling  and  oppressed, 
He  sought  a  shelter  where  to  rest; 
In  looking  round  from  side  to  side, 
A  lowly  cottage  he  espied : 
He  entered  it  with  great  delight, 
And  found  a  lodging  for  the  night. 
He  asked  his  host  for  food  to  eat, 
His  host  replied,  "  We've  only  meat." 
The  Priest  responds,  "  Don't  think  it  strange, 
I  can  its  nature  quickly  change." 
Then  solemnly  the  meat  he  took, 
And  praying,  plunged  it  in  the  brook. 


"  Pious  Frauds."  145 

"Hcec  est  perva— Go  down  gammon, 
Hie  est  pisces — Come  up  salmon." 
Thus  by  an  art  well  understood, 
The  Priest  had  fine  fresh  fish  for  food ; 
These  Latin  prayers  are  just  the  thing, 
That  out  of  ham  can  salmon  bring. 

But  men,  in  vain,  such  tricks  condemn, 

While  they  themselves  still  practice  them. 

The  Priest  may  call  the  gammon  fish, 

And  eat  as  much  as  heart  could  wish; 

And,  by  "  Distinguo,"  get  free 

From  penances,  most  probably. 

Yet,  still  the  thing  is  but  a  lie, 

As  truth  and  conscience  testify. 

And  ev'ry  Church  acts  falsely  too, 

That  does  a  sim'lar  course  pursue. 

It  is  a  kind  of  "  pious  fraud," 

(Abhorrent  in  the  eyes  of  God), 

Which  men  have  practiced,  now,  so  long, 

That  some  aver,  it  is  not  wrong 

To  give  to  God  a  house  by  prayers, 
E'en  while  they  know  it  is  not  theirs. 
But  unpaid  workmen  don't  forget, 
That  on  the  house  there  rests  a  debt 

Which  must  be  paid,  ere  it  can  be 

The  house  of  God,  in  honesty. 

But  lordly  sinners  have  a  way 

Of  managing,  in  this  our  day, 

That  quadrates  with  the  laws  of  man, 

But,  with  God's  law  it  never  can. 

The  plan  is  this — they  say  we  owe 

A  very  heavy  debt,  we  know 

The  house,  if  sold,  won't  bring,  we  guess, 

Th'  amount  of  debt — say,  one-third  less  ; 

The  house  we'll  sell  and  buy  it  in, 

And  by  the  trick  some  thousands  win. 

The  carpenters  and  masons  too, 

Will  lose  some  hundreds,  that  is  true ; 

But  that's  not  our  concern — 'tis  theirs, 

We'll  get  the  house—and  then,  by  prayers, 


146  Church  Debts. 

And  singing  hymns,  wash  out  the  stain 
That  on  our  conscience  may  remain. 
No  matter  how  the  men  may  curse 
The  Church  as  hypocrites,  or  worse; 
The  law  protecting,  we'll  be  free 
From  this  Church-debt  perplexity. 

Such  is  the  plan.     But  God  must  hate 
Such  hypocritical  deceit ; 
How  can  such  men  draw  nigh  to  God, 
While  workmen's  wages  are  by  fraud 
Kept  back  ?     The  Lord  does  them  condemn, 
And  honest  men  should  them  contemn. 

A  fact  I'll  state,  if  you'll  permit, 
It  is  in  point,  you  must  admit. 

A  Hindoo  once  prepared  a  feast, 
To  entertain  the  village  Priest; 
He  asked  the  Brahmuns  far  and  near, 
Who  did  the  rules  of  caste  revere, 
To  join  with  them  in  festive  mood, 
To  eat  the  consecrated  food. 
A  host  appeared,  and  all  were  dressed 
In  flowing  robes,  the  very  best. 
The  man  was  gratified,  that  he 
Should  entertain  such  company; 
For  in  the  Priests,  without  pretence, 
He'd  placed  the  utmost  confidence. 
He  hoped  that  they  his  house  would  bless, 
And  thus  increase  his  righteousness. 
And  so  they  did,  but  not  as  he 
Had  hoped,  as  in  the  end  we'll  see. 

The  Priest,  a  worshipper  of  Sheve, 
Had  brought  a  Lingum  in  his  sleeve; 
But  ere  the  feast  was  fully  o'er, 
He  rose,  and  standing  on  the  floor, 
In  Sungskrit  verse,  a  Muntru  said, 
While  they  stood  round  with  bended  head, 


Tfie  Hindoo  Priest.  147 

And  thus  concealed  from  outward  view, 

The  thing  the  Priest  was  then  to  do. 

While  he  was  mutt'ring  o'er  his  prayers, 

One  of  the  Priests  a  hole  prepares; 

Another  sprinkles  water  round, 

And  thus  he  consecrates  the  ground. 

Then,  in  the  hole  the  god  is  set, 

And  with  the  sacred  oil  is  wet. 

'Tis  now  for  adoration  fit, 

So,  down  they  fall  and  worship  it ; 

And  now,  proclaims  the  wily  knave, 

This  house  belongs  to  Maha-Dev. 

The  Priests,  uniting  shout  aloud, 

As  round  the  senseless  stone  they  crowd ; 

Henceforth  this  house,  a  fane  must  be, 

Great  Maha-Dev!  alone  to  thee! 

Here  let  no  Shoodroo  show  his  face,  • 

Let  none  pollute  this  sacred  place ; 

But,  let  it  still  a  temple  be, 

To  thee,  Great  Maha-Dev  !  to  thee  ! 

The  man  protested ;  but  'twas  vain, 
His  house  was  turned  into  a  fane ; 
The  laws  confirmed  the  wickedness, 
But  paid  the  man  in  righteousness 
The  full  amount  of  what  it  cost; 
'Twas  all  he  got.     The  house  he  lost. 

Mr.  B.  But  surely  you  don't  mean  to  say 
That  Christians  act  in  such  a  way, 
They'd  certainly  these  Priests  contemn, 
And  such  hypocrisy  condemn. 
If  Churches  now  should  act  like  that, 
I  don't  know  what  they'd  next  be  at. 
There's  much  that's  wrong,  I  know  full  well, 
For  good  and  ill  together  dwell ; 
But  that  which  now  the  Church  annoys, 
Was  ten  times  worse  when  we  were  boys; 
The  world  is  growing  better  fast, 
And  soon  these  ills  will  all  be  past. 


148  Church  Debts. 

Mr.  A.  Upon  this  point  we'll  disagree; 
But  for  the  present,  let  it  be. 
I'll  only  say  what  God  has  said, 
That  wickedness  will  greatly  spread, 
And  hence,  as  'twas  in  days  of  old, 
The  love  of  many  will  grow  cold  ; 
But  half  the  church  will  grace  possess, 
The  balance,  wilhout  righteousness, 
Will  to  the  world  still  wedded  be, 
Till  earth  from  Satan's  power  be  free. 
But  if  the  world,  as  you  declare, 
Is  growing  better  ev'ry  where; 
Then,  why,  I  ask,  does  it  not  show  it, 
And  why  so  few  that  seem  to  know  it? 
The  churches,  too,  are  growing  cold, 
Caressing  these,  who  have  the  gold; 
•         For  wealth  is  loved  'fore  godliness, 
And  humble  faith  grows  less  and  less. 
The  reason  why  the  Church  of  God, 
At  home,  doth  languish,  and  abroad, 
Is  found  in  Pride  and  worldliness, 
That  now  the  Church's  soul  possess. 


You  certainly  will  not  allow 
That  Christians  are  so  poor  just  now, 
That  they,  in  truth,  can't  pay  the  debt 
Resting  upon  their  churches  yet. 
They  have  the  means,  but  want  the  will, 
This  part  of  duty  to  fulfil. 
Oh  !  if  for  God  they  had  the  zeal 
That  heathen  for  their  idols  feel  ; 
If  they  would  be  what  they  profess, 
Lovers  of  God  and  righteousness; 
And  spend,  in  saving  men  from  woe, 
But  half  they  spend  in  Pride  and  show, 
No  debts  on  churches  would  be  found, 
On  Christian  or  on  heathen  ground. 
They'd  all  be  paid  most  speedily 
By  Christian  liberality. 


Progressive  Benevolence.  149 

Mr.  B.  I  must  confess  that  Christians  could 

Redeem  their  churches,  if  they  would ; 
They  have  the  money,  that  is  plain, 
Though  oft  of  poverty  complain. 
It  may  not  be  through  want  of  grace, 
So  much  as  knowledge  in  the  case, 
That  leads  so  many  to  withhold, 
From  God,  the  silver  and  the  gold. 
1  well  remember,  years  ago, 
That  I  would  scarcely  ever  throw 
More  than  a  sixpence  in  the  box, 
And  thought  that  this  was  orthodox. 
But,  by  degrees,  I  found  I  could 
Give  twice  as  much,  and  yet  have  food. 
Thus,  I  continued  giving  more 
Each  time,  than  I  had  done  before; 
Till,  finally,  at  church,  one  day, 
I  gave  a  dollar  note  away! 
Encouraged  and  amazed,  I  then 
Advanced  to  five,  from  five  to  ten; 
And  now,  I  find  that  I  can  give 
Hundreds  instead  of  tens,  and  live; 
Yea,  live  far  happier  than  the  time 
My  contribution  was  a  dime. 
It  may  be,  others  have,  like  me, 
Measured  by  pence  their  charity. 
It  may  not  be  sheer  worldliness 
That  makes  them  give  a  great  deal  less 
Than  we  are  confident  they  would, 
If  they  the  subject  understood. 


Mr.  A.  Men,  doubtless,  do  sincerely  try, 
In  various  ways,  to  justify 
Their  prodigality  and  priae, 
And  sordid  worldliness  beside. 
But  all  their  efforts  will  be  vain, 
To  justify  their  course  profane; 
For  no  excuse  that  can  be  given, 
Can  stand  the  test  of  righteous  heaven. 
13 


150  Church  Debts. 

Now,  here's  a  Church  that  has  a  debt 
Of  twenty  thousand  on  it  yet; 
The  int'rest  on  this  sum,  you  see, 
Will  just  twelve  hundred  dollars  be. 
This  sum  is  paid,  and  must  be  paid, 
While  other  debts  aside  are  laid ; 
By  doing  so,  they  may  keep  clear 
From  Venditor,  the  auctioneer. 
But  see  how  this  the  Church  affects, 
And  leads  to  sundry  sad  neglects. 
And  first :  the  cause  of  Missions  gets, 
Her  heaviest  blow,  from  these  Church  debts; 
The  people  are  involved,  and  say, 
"We  cannot  give  our  funds  away; 
Our  int'rest  money  must  be  paid, 
Or  things  with  us  will  retrograde. 
The  Mission-cause  is  good,  we  know, 
And,  were  it  not  for  debts  we  owe, 
We  might  a  large  donation  give ; 
But,  with  us,  there's  no  alternative, 
We  must  refuse,  in  honesty, 
Whate'er  the  consequence  may  be." 
And  thus  it  is  this  work  of  God — 
The  Mission-cause,  at  home,  abroad, 
Must  be  kept  back,  if  it  don't  get 
Its  quietus,  through  this  vile  debt. 


But,  next :  how  fares  the  minister  1 
Oft  ill  enough,  as  he'll  aver; 
He's  often  blamed  because  he  can't 
Open  the  hearts  of  adamant, 
And  force  the  misers  to  repent, 
And  be  for  once  benevolent. 
He's  blamed  because  the  rich  will  not 
To  debt-cursed  Churches  join  their  lot, 
And  thus  of  funds  supply  the  lack, 
Which  fraudulently  is  kept  back. 
And  now  retrenchment  must  be  made, 
And  where  begin,  but  at  the  head  ? 


A  Desideratum.  151 

The  minister,  of  course,  must  be 

Diminished  in  his  salary; 

*Tis  always  done  with  deep  regret! 

But  then— the  int'rest  must  be  met. 

Of  course,  the  people  can't  give  up 

One  draught  from  their  luxurious  cup ; 

They've  got  their  funds  in  this  and  that, 

So  that  they  ne'er  can  be  got  at; 

Their  stocks  and  stores  must  be  increased, 

Hence  ministers  must  needs  be  fleeced, 

And  driven  from  their  flocks,  to  roam 

Abroad  on  earth  to  find  a  home, 

And  friends  whose  hearts  have  not,  as  yet, 

Callous  become  through  a  Church  Debt. 

With  man  this  policy  seems  wise — 

'Tis  despicable  in  God's  eyes. 

Oh,  what  a  pity  'tis,  that  now 
God  don't  the  heavens  weekly  bow, 
And  send  the  churches,  Peter,  Paul, 
Th'  Apostles,  Prophets,  Martyrs,  all, 
And  bid  them  preach  one  day  in  seven, 
And  take  them  up  again  to  heaven. 
'Twould  save  expenses,  and  would  be, 
With  some,  first  rate  economy. 
Then,  splendid  churches  they  might  build, 
And  with  the  godless  have  them  filled; 
Magnificent  they'd  have  them  be, 
To  shut  out  humble  poverty. 
'Tis  true  that  God  converts  the  poor, 
And  heav'n  is  filled  with  such,  we're  sure; 
But  Churches  now  are  well  content, 
To  do  without  the  indigent. 
With  itching  ears,  from  far  and  near, 
They  daily  run  new  things  to  hear  ; 
They  seek  themselves  to  glorify, 
And  not  the  poor  to  edify ! 
To  make  a  show  and  foster  pride, 
And  pay  the  minister  beside ; 


152  Church  Debts. 

Demand  too  much,  and  hence  the  plan, 
To  keep  their  pride  and  starve  the  man. 

But  time  would  fail  to  speak  of  all 
The  ills  that  on  the  churches  fall, 
Through  this  vile  system  of  Church  fraud; 
This  wholesale  robbery  of  God : 
Suffice  it  here  to  say,  they  claim, 
Most  justly,  "  Legion,"  as  their  name. 
They're  an  unmitigated  curse, 
You'll  search  in  vain  to  find  a  worse. 

But  what  has  now  the  Church  possess'd, 
To  throw  away,  in  interest, 
Such  sums  of  money  which  should  go 
The  Powers  of  sin  to  overthrow? 
Why  not  pay  off  their  debt,  and  be, 
At  once,  from  ev'ry  fetter  free  1 

The  truth  is  this — men  understand, 
That  with  God's  money  in  their  hand, 
They  can  afford,  as  suits  them  best, 
To  pay  the  yearly  interest; 
For  with  the  balance,  which  they  take, 
They  speculate,  and  fortunes  make ; 
But  if  they'd  do  the  thing  that's  right, 
And  in  the  law  of  God  delight, 
They  would,  at  once,  His  house  set  free 
From  this  debasing  slavery. 
God  would  then  His  word  fulfill, 
By  pouring  out  His  spirit  still 
Upon  His  Churches  all  around, 
Thus  making  joy  and  peace  abound. 
"  Bring  all  the  tythes" — thus  saith  the  Lord. 
"  Within  my  house,  with  one  accord ; 
Let  there  be  meat — a  full  supply, 
And  prove  my  faithfulness  hereby, 
In  sov'reign  mercy  I'll  provide, 
That  heav'nly  founts  be  open'd  wide; 
And  streams  of  blessings  from  them  flow, 
T'  enrich  the  Church  and  world  below. 


The  Truth  Confessed.  J53 

Yea,  such  a  blessing  will  I  send, 
That  far  and  wide  it  shall  extend, 
Till  ev'ry  earthly  dwelling  place 
Be  filled  with  overflowing  grace." 

But,  oh  !  the  Church,  controll'd  by  Pride, 
Doth  m  her  selfishness  confide, 
She  does  too  little  for  her  God, 
And  hence  she  falls  beneath  His  rod; 
Of  barrenness  and  drought  complains, 
But  yet  her  worldliness  retains. 
Oh  !  that  she  would  the  truth  believe, 
"  'Tis  not  so  blessed  to  receive 
As  'tis  to  give''— and  spread  abroad, 
Where'er  the  foot  of  man  hath  trod, 
The  joyful  news  that  God  is  Love, 
And  Christ's  our  Advocate  above. 
Oh  !  then  she  would,  with  God-like  heart, 
Salvation  to  the  world  impart; 
And  be,  as  God  would  have  her  be, 
The  image  of  His  purity. 

Mr.B.  I'm  forced,  at  last,  in  truth  to  say, 
The  Church  has  wander'd  far  away 
From  the  example  of  her  Lord, 
And  simple  precepts  of  his  word. 
Nor  does  she  seem  at  all  to  feel, 
That  holy  joy — unwearied  zeal, 
With  which  the  early  Church  was  bless'd, 
And  Apostolic  men  possessed, 
The  cause  of  this,  no  doubt,  must  be 
A  sad  decline  in  piety. 
The  world,  by  flattery  and  art, 
Hath  made  inroads  upon  her  heart ; 
Its  schemes  of  wealth,  its  maxims,  ways, 
Its  popularity  and  praise, 
Have  hidden  from  her  eye  the  woe 
Which  must  a  godless  world  o'erflow. 
She  does  not  see,  or  seem  to  see, 
The  wretchedness  and  misery 
13* 


154  Church,  Debts. 

Of  millions  of  the  human  race, 

Who're  dying  destitute  of  grace. 

Nor  does  she  now,  as  she  did  then, 

Devote  her  strength  to  saving  men ; 

No,  not  a  tythe  of  it  is  spent 

To  save  from  endless  punishment, 

The  souls  of  men,  more  precious  far, 

Than  earth  and  ail  her  jewels  are. 

The  Church  has  men,  and  money  too, 

And  rare  facilities  to  do 

The  work  that  God  to  her  assigns, 

In  forwarding  His  great  designs. 

If  with  these  means  she  had  the  will, 

She'd  soon  the  world  with  knowledge  fill, 

And  hasten  on  that  blessed  day, 

When  righteousness  shall  have  the  sway. 

Mr.  A.  Right  glad  am  I  that  now,  friend  B., 
We  seem  so  nearly  to  agree ; 
I  have  no  doubt,  that  you  will  yet, 
Sincerely  hate  this  vile  Church  Debt. 

Mr.  B.  I  see  the  evil  of  the  plan, 

And  shall  exert  what  power  I  can, 
To  have  God*s  house  forever  free, 
From  this  Church  debt  iniquity. 

Mr.  A.  I  pray  you  do ;  for  I  am  sure, 

Church  debts  curse  both  the  rich  and  poor; 
And  just  so  long  as  men  withhold 
From  God  his  silver  and  his  gold  ; 
And,  through  their  worfdliness,  neglect 
To  pay  for  Churches  they  erect, 
So  long  will  He  their  ways  contemn, 
And  showers  of  grace  withhold  from  them. 

May  God,  by  power  Omnipotent, 
Constrain  His  people  to  repent ; 
And,  in  great  mercy,  quickly  set 
His  Churches  free  from  a  Church  Debt. 

W.  R, 


NOTES. 


NOTE  A.— Pages  11  and  122. 

The  Parsee  Cemetery,  or,  as  it  is  called,  "  The  Tower  of  Silence," 
is  the  place  where  the  Parsees  deposit  the  bodies  of  their  dead. 

The  engraving  gives  us  an  accurate  bird's  eye  view  of  the  one  built 
on  Malabar  Hill,  on  the  west  side  of  the  island  of  Bombay,  by  Framjee 
Cowasjee,  a  wealthy  Parsee.  The  engraving  is  copied  from  a  draw- 
ing taken  by  my  friend  Mr.  Arthur  D.  Fallon,  an  excellent  artist  of 
Bombay.  I  am  indebted  to  his  kindness  for  the  drawing,  and  for  the 
following  description  of  the  Tower :  "  The  drawing  is  a  bird's  eye 
view  of  the  Gemetery,  which  is  built  of  grey  stone,  and  chunammed 
(plaistered)  outside.  It  is  about  80  feet  in  diameter ;  the  well  in  the 
centre  is  in  diameter  about  40  feet ;  from  the  top  of  the  building,  to 
the  platform,  where  the  bodies  are  laid,  is  about  nine  feet.  On  the 
platform  are  three  rows  of  receptacles  for  the  dead  bodies  of  the  Par- 
sees.  The  outermost  or  largest  is  for  the  men ;  the  middle  one  for 
the  females ;  and  the  innermost  and  smallest  is  for  the  children.  The 
deep  lines  on  the  platform  are  to  carry  off  the  fat,  &c,  of  their  bodies 
into  the  large  well  in  the  centre.  The  building  is  open  at  the  top. 
The  two  doors  observable  in  the  well  in  the  centre,  are  each  perfo- 
rated with  about  100  small  holes,  which  carry  off  the  rain,  &c,  that 
falls  into  the  centre.  These  doors  communicate  with  wells  under 
ground.  There  are  altogether  four  of  these  doors,  with  four  large 
chains,  used  as  ladders,  by  which  you  may  go  down  into  the  well. 
The  bottom  of  the  well  in  the  centre  is  convex.  When  this  well  is 
filled  with  the  bones  of  the  dead,  a  new  Cemetery  is  then  constructed. 

"  This  one  is  made  so  as  to  contain  237  bodies  at  one  time,  viz :  the 
bodies  of  79  men,  79  women,  and  79  children.  The  small  hole  in  the 
building  to  the  left  of  the  door,  is  to  allow  a  person  from  the  inside, 
to  observe  the  sacred  fire  which  burns,  not  far  distant  from  the  spotJ 


156  NOTES. 

On  each  side  of  the  door,  which  is  made  of  iron,  is  an  inscription 
commemorative  of  the  building.  The  one  to  the  right  is  in  English; 
the  other  is  in  the  native  language. 

"The  site  of  the  building  being  so  elevated,  there  is  a  beautiful  view 
from  it  of  the  whole  island,  together  with  the  harbour  and  shipping. 
I  have  understood  that  it  cost  Framjee  Cowasjee  about  half  a  lack  of 
rupees,  ($25,000,)  including  every  thing. 

"  A.  D.  Fallon." 

This  Tower  was  erected  in  1S32.  It  is  said  that  Framjee  Cowasjee 
had  set  apart  for  his  young  and  only  daughter,  the  sum  of  half  a  lack 
of  rupees,  as  her  portion.  But,  as  she  died  before  her  marriage,  he 
considered  this  money  as  sacred,  and  would  not  devote  it  to  any  pri- 
vate use  of  his  own.  He,  therefore,  resolved  to  build  this  "  Tower" 
for  the  benefit  of  his  nation.  When  it  was  finished,  and  before  its 
consecration,  he  gave  a  general  invitation  to  all  who  wished  to  visit 
it,  to  do  so.  Accordingly,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  D.  O.  Allen  and 
others,  on  April  5,  and  on  the  following  day  with  Mrs.  Ramsey,  I 
visited  this  depository  of  the  dead.  The  description  of  it,  as  given 
by  Mr.  Fallon,  is  in  all  things  correct.  I  would  merely  add,  that  the 
height  of  the  Tower  is  above  20  feet. 

I  was  highly  pleased  with  the  beauty  of  the  place  and  the  delight- 
ful prospect  it  afforded  of  the  island  and  the  ocean.  But  the  multi- 
tude of  horrid  looking,  voracious  vultures  which  had  grown  fat  from 
feasting  on  the  bodies  of  the  deceased  Parsees,  and  which  were  perch- 
ed all  around  you,  on  the  neighbouring  palm  trees  or  on  the  tops  of  the 
other  towers,  together  with  the  thought  of  the  revolting  manner  in 
which  the  dead  are  here  disposed  of,  absolutely  chilled  my  blood  and 
made  my  flesh  crawl  upon  my  bones.  The  staring  eyes  of  these  lazy 
vultures,  as  they  watched  us  wherever  we  went,  seemed  to  say,  "  we 
should  be  glad  to  pick  the  flesh  off  your  bones  also."  To  the  Christian  it 
i,s  one  of  the  most  revolting  modes  of  getting  rid  of  the  dead  bodies  of 
our  friends,  that  the  mind  can  imagine.  The  idea  of  having  my  sepul- 
chre in  the  filthy  stomachs  of  those  hideous  vultures,  is  to  me  unut- 
terably horrible.  If  this  body  must  be  devoured,  let  it  be  done  by 
some  decent  wild  beast  of  the  forest,  or  by  some  monster  of  the  deep; 
but  the  idea  of  having  my  flesh  torn  from  my  bones  by  the  beaks  and 
claws  of  a  host  of  vultures  fighting  for  the  tenderest  morsel,  and  to  be 
gulped  down  bit  by  bit,  makes  me  shudder  to  think  of  it..  It  would 
give  me  no  satisfaction,  as  it  does  the  Parsee,  to  have  some  one  peep 


NOTES.  1 57 

through  the  hole  in  the  wall,  and  to  see  which  eye  of  my  departed 
friend  the  vultures  have  torn  out  first.  The  whole  thing  is  so  opposed 
to  all  the  refined  feelings  of  our  nature,  that  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive 
how  such  a  mode  of  sepulture  could  have  been  devised.  Christianity 
is  a  blessing  to  man  if  it  had  taught  him  no  more  than  how  to  show 
proper  respect  for  the  bodies  of  our  departed  friends. 

When  I  visited  this  "  Tower  of  Silence,"  there  were  three  others 
within  the  same  enclosure.  They  were  smaller  than  this  one,  but  all 
were  alike  in  their  construction. 

My  design  in  speaking  of  this  singular  custom  of  the  Parsees  is 
twofold ;  first,  to  inform  the  reader  of  this  strange  mode  of  burial : 
and  second,  to  illustrate  the  benevolence  of  the  Parsees  in  matters 
pertaining  to  religion.  One  man  makes  a  donation  of  $25,000  to  his 
nation,  for  their  "Towers  of  Silence,"  as  well  as  their  temples,  must 
be  free  from  debt.  And  if  men,  who  are  strangers  to  the  grace  of 
God,  manifest  such  a  commendable  spirit  of  liberality,  what  must  we 
think  of  those  who  profess  to  be  the  Lord's,  and  who  acknowledge  that 
all  they  have  belongs  to  Him,  and  yet  have  not  religion  enough  to 
build  their  Lord  a  house,  or  to  pay  the  debt  on  those  they  have  built, 
though  they  are  able  to  do  it.  This  state  of  feeling  surely  cannot  be 
right. 


NOTE  B.— Page  14. 
GUNESH. 

The  name  Gunesh,  or  Gunputtee,  is  composed  of  the  two  Sungskrit 
words,  Gun,  a  troop  or  host,  and  Esh,  or  Puttee,  Lord  or  Ruler.  The 
word  means  "the  Lord  of  Hosts,  or  Ruler  of  armies."  This  god  is 
considered,  in  the  western  part  of  India,  as  the  god  of  Wisdom,  as  well 
as  the  god  of  Hosts.  He  is  the  son  of  Sheve  and  Parwutee.  He  is 
described  as  a  short  person  with  four  arms,  an  elephant's  head  and  a 
huge  stomach.  There  are  three  different  accounts  of  the  way  in  which 
he  became  honoured  with  so  huge  a  head.  Serpents  are  bending  over 
him.  The  mysterious  and  sacred  symbol  of  the  Hindoo  trinity  is  over 
his  head,  encircled  by  a  serpent.     The  word  is  A.  0.  M.,  and  is  com- 


158 


NOTES. 


posed  of  a  letter  taken  from  one  of  the  names  of  each  of  the  gods 
Bruhma,  Vishnoo,  and  Sheve.  None  but  Brahmuns  are  allowed  to 
pronounce  this  sacred  name.  The  boys  in  school,  however,  are  taught 
to  write  it.  Gunputtee  is  worshipped  by  the  Mahratta  people  as  much 
as  any  of  the  gods  of  India.  The  images  are  made  of  brass  or  cop- 
per; but  for  the  annual  festival  they  are  made  of  clay,  and  vary  in  the 
price  and  beauty,  to  suit  the  taste  and  purse  of  the  buyer.  The  trade 
in  gods  is  a  cash  trade.  No  Hindoo  buys  an  idol,  or  hires  a  palankeen 
for  the  annual  celebration,  without  being  prompt  in  paying  for  all. 
Their  gods,  as  well  as  their  temples,  are  out  of  debt.  Yea,  more ;  the 
Priests  of  the  temple  are  provided  for.  In  all  this,  they  put  to  shame 
many  professing  Christians,  who,  not  only  worship  God  in  houses 
loaded  with  a  heavy  debt,  but  also  meanly  support  their  ministers,  be- 
cause they  must  pay  the  interest  on  their  debt  or  forfeit  their  house. 
When  will  God's  people  act  wisely  in  this  thing  1 


NOTE  C— Page  32. 

THE  YOGEE  OR  FAKEER. 

Throughout  India  there  is  a  vile  set  of  men  who  are  known  by  the 
names  Yogees,  Sunyasees  or  Beiragees,  among  the  Hindoos;  and  a 
corresponding  set  among  the  Mohammedans,  called  Fakeers.  As  a 
general  thing,  they  are  an  abominable  class  of  men.  They  wear  but 
little  clothing,  and  many  of  them  go  nearly  naked.  This  is  done  to 
convince  the  people  that  their  holiness  has  subdued  all  the  natural 
feelings  of  humanity  within  them.  But  their  conduct  in  secret  contra- 
dicts their  public  profession  of  deadness  to  the  world.  They  are  arrant 
hypocrites.  This  mode  of  life  is,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  chosen  be- 
cause the  man  is  sure  of  a  support  from  the  alms  of  the  people,  and 
he  is  thus  enabled  to  lead  a  life  of  comparative  indolence,  besides  being 
worshipped  as  a  god  by  the  people. 

The  Yogee  here  represented  is  a  good  specimen  of  the  class.  His 
arm  has  been  bound  in  its  present  position  so  long,  that  it  cannot  be 
altered.     The  flesh  has  withered,  and  the  nails  have  grown  to  a  won- 


NOTES.  159 

derfuJ  length.  It  is  no  longer  of  any  practical  use  to  him,  except  to 
exhibit  his  self-righteousness  and  pride.  His  business  is  to  beg.  In 
that  way  he  expects  to  enter  heaven ;  and  those  who  give  him  alms, 
may  expect  to  enter  heaven  also,  and  be  happy  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  contributed.  So  he  tells  them.  This  man  was  a  Bengalee, 
and  was  to  be  seen  some  years  ago  walking  through  the  streets  of 
Calcutta.  While  the  Rev.  Mr.  Percival  and  Hodson,  Wesleyan  mis- 
sionaries, were  one  day  preaching  to  the  natives  on  the  bank  of  the 
Ganges,  this  man  appeared  in  the  crowd  and  became  a  listener.  Mr. 
H.  sketched  his  likeness  while  Mr.  P.  preached  to  him  and  to  the  com- 
pany the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  It  is  very  correct,  and  while  it  gives 
a  good  likeness  of  the  devotee,  it  shows  also  the  hatefulness  of  that 
system  of  self-righteousness  which  leads  men  to  hope  for  bliss  here- 
after, by  torturing  themselves  here. 

My  object  in  referring  to  this  specimen  of  deluded  humanity,  is  to 
show  the  reader  that  if  a  member  of  the  body  be  rendered  inactive, 
it  will  become  useless.  So  also  with  inactive  professors  in  the  Church 
of  God.  They  are  our  Christian  Yogees;  and  many  of  them  are  just 
as  useless  in  promoting  the  spirituality  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  the 
Yogee  himself.  Happy  would  it  be  for  the  Church  if  such  were  out 
of  her  communion. 


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